Neurotechnologies have great potential to foster brain health and have proved effective both in the diagnosis and management of neurological and psychiatric diseases. The growing accessibility and portability of neurotechnologies have expanded their use beyond the medical field and into the general consumer market (work, education, entertainment and marketing), which raise crucial ethical and societal issues – notably in terms of human enhancement, regulation and marketing of direct-to-consumer devices, protection of personal brain data and vulnerability of cognitive patterns for commercial or political manipulation.
Although the Medical Devices Regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation and the more recent European Artificial Intelligence Act already provide consumer, competition and general product safety standards relevant for the development of neurotechnologies in the EU, the EU still lacks specific regulations and directives in this regard. The European Brain Council (EBC) brough together a large representation of actors from the public and private sectors to build on and complement existing mechanisms of governance for the successful development of neurotechnologies in Europe.
Accessible until 8 December 2024, the public consultation on the Charter invites all interested public and stakeholders to contribute to the development of comprehensive guidelines