The role of the national biosafety advisory council in the system of countering the challenges of the biological nature of France

Abstract

The article examines the role of the National Advisory Council (hereinafter — the Council on Biosafety of France) and the legal support of its activities in order to use the positive experience of this country for Ukraine. The necessity of this study was the fact of updating and approval according to the Decree of the President of Ukraine № 560/2020 of 10.12.2020 of the personnel of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. In addition to updating and approving the specified personnel of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection, the regulatory framework for its activities has not been developed and adopted. Given the European integration direction of Ukraine, it is important to study and use the experience of such consultative organizations in the EU. Among the progressive EU countries in this regard is France. The motivation for choosing to study the legal basis for ensuring the activities of the National Advisory Council on Biosafety in the biosafety and biosecurity system of France was the following: — France is one of the economically developed countries of the EU; — in France, one of the highest world levels of development of medical and biological science and technology, especially in epidemiology; — The National Biosafety Advisory Board in the French biosafety and biosecurity system is effective. In addition, France is the depositary of the Geneva Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Similar Gases and Bacteriological Agents (Geneva, 17 June 1925), kept in the diplomatic archives of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Based on the study of regulatory support (Decree signed by the Prime Minister of France № 2015—1095 of 31 August 2015) of the National Advisory Council on Biosafety in the biosafety and biosecurity system of France, the following conclusions were made: — France has established an effective advisory board, provided the legal basis for its activities, which defined the representative organizations, the status and term of office, rights and responsibilities of members of the organization and the ministries responsible for its functioning; — The experience of France on this issue can be useful for our country to improve the efficiency of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Key words: advisory council, commission, biological threats, biological risks, biological safety, biological protection, legal support.