European scientists warn of Trump’s censorship

The European academies of sciences believe that President Trump is threatening academic freedom. Government censorship is preventing scientists from carrying out their work freely.

The new president of the United States is also affecting scientists. At the end of last month, Trump decided to make significant budget cuts to the NIH, the main funder of medical research in the US. A judge blocked the move last week.

Censorship

The European academies of sciences view these developments with concern. They are worried about the ‘growing threats to academic freedom’, they state in a joint declaration.

By freezing funding for research on climate change and gender studies, the Trump administration is limiting scientists’ freedom to determine their own research questions, according to ALLEA, the European federation of academies (which includes the Dutch KNAW).

Politics should not interfere with the ‘language use, choice of topics and methodology’ of scientists. ALLEA describes Trump’s actions as a form of ‘censorship’ and ‘political oppression’.

Better protection

The consequences of some of Trump’s decisions take time to become apparent. The president’s dismissal of several Democratic regulators from a US privacy watchdog, the PCLOB, in January could have far-reaching implications for cooperation between European and American researchers.

Privacy activist Max Schrems warns that this watchdog was partly established at the request of the European Commission to enable Europeans to share data with the US. ALLEA fears that data exchange is now at risk.

European governments should better protect academic freedom, says the federation of academies. This also applies to the Netherlands, as professor of international law and sustainability André Nollkaemper recently pointed out, though universities themselves must also remain vigilant.