Those statistics shall be disaggregated by gender where appropriate, for groups that are of special interest to social policy makers.

However, if you give a specific voice to specific interest groups in the appointment process, you give the public the impression that those groups will be able to push to have the judges who are selected be favourable to their specific interests.

The JRC's independence of special interests, whether private or national, combined with its technical expertise enable it to facilitate communication and consensus building between stakeholders (industry associations, environmental action groups, Member States' competent authorities, other research centres etc.) and policy makers, especially at the Community level and notably with the European Parliament.

It is in order to defend the value of this work that we object to the unilateral and surreptitious decision, taken in the particular interest of one group of Canadian citizens or one political party, for the benefit of the parliamentary majority in the House of Commons and the Senate, that although normally, by consensus and with the agreement of all political stakeholders, the electoral boundaries map should come into effect on August 25, 2004, this will not happen, for reasons that are undoubtedly legitimate, but nonetheless specific to the Liberal Party of Canada.

c) Beyond these two specific initiatives, the Commission will also encourage public debates on biotechnology between scientists, industry and civil society, including specific interest groups, such as patients groups, farmers and consumers, focussing on specific technological developments, to raise public interest in such developments and offer early information on potential benefits and risks.

While the media is not considered third party or special interest, in reality, it is seen as such by the people. The credibility and the conception of freedom of the press and an informed vote is seriously undermined when some special interests can actively push their interests while others are prevented from participating in a meaningful way.