European Countries Biologist Association
The European Countries Biologist Association (ECBA) was founded in 1975 by biologists from different countries with the support of their national life science associations and e. Some professional organizations were also founded, which then became members of the ECBA. Since then, the ECBA sees itself as a European association of national biologists' associations. In the meantime, the ECBA takes on the function of a European umbrella association, which strives to harmonize overarching European requirements and national characteristics in the respective professional field via the member associations. The ECBA is also an umbrella organization that advocates science and its findings and results as well as knowledge-based and science-based decisions in politics and business as an independent mediator.
In the course of the ongoing harmonization of EU law, the ECBA has represented the interests of the national member associations and their members in business, politics and the media. Through its “National Member Bodies”, the ECBA also provides national and international experts as contacts when it comes to interesting or controversial specialist topics in politics and the media. The ECBA is also committed to a well-founded scientific and above all well-founded biological or bioscientific school education and thus also for a corresponding basic education in the population. Building on this, the ECBA pleads for a high level of professional qualification in academic training and further education among future professionals. As part of the implementation of the Bolognia process, the ECBA continues to advocate a full academic degree (minimum degree as MSc. With 5 years of study) for future professionals.
At the moment, the expansion of the ECBA, which has hitherto been more western and central European, is being sought to include Eastern Europe.
An essential "product" of the ECBA is the title EuroProBiol . It was developed and defined as a personal "certification" by the European Countries Biologist Association back in the 1980s. First of all, the EurProBiol title was important in the field of industry and the authorities because it provided more transparency for applications from other Eu countries. A short time later, it was used far more as a quality feature for self-employed biologists and is constantly developing with increasing EU legislation (e.g. the Services Directive, etc.). The EurProBiol is an expression of the mutual recognition of national qualifications in the field of biology with regard to the academic degree and the necessary experience in an organic profession. At that time, the school qualifications and the academic qualifications based on them, along with personal professional experience, were first harmonized. However, the international recognition of courses and their degrees is increasingly playing a role. In the course of the Bolognia process and the introduction of the bachelor / master system instead of diploma degrees, a wide range of study programs for so-called “organic professions” were and will continue to exist, which soften the original professional profile of a biologist. It will therefore be an ongoing challenge for the ECBA and its members to constantly monitor and further concretise the expanding professional profile.
In Europe, biologists with at least three years of professional experience can apply for EurProBiol certification through their national associations. In Germany this is the Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO) or the Professional Representation of German Biologists (BDBiol eV); in Austria this is the Austrian Biologist Association (ABA).