The EGU’s first science-policy pairing scheme, which provided an opportunity for a selected EGU member to visit Brussels and work alongside a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), was held from 12–13 November 2019. The scheme paired EGU member Solmaz Mohadjer, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tübingen, with Finnish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Miapetra Kumpula-Natri.

Kumpula-Natri is part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and a member of the parliamentary committees on Industry, Research and Energy and International Trade. She is focused on finding sustainable solutions to climate change, creating quality jobs for Europeans by boosting the sustainable competitiveness of European industry, increasing investments in research and encouraging European cooperation.

During her time in the Parliament, Mohadjer participated in a recorded Q&A about climate change and briefed Kumpula-Natri and her team about the characteristics of the Baltic Sea, including the impact of climate change and the threat of sea level rise for coastal communities. As well as providing scientific information, Mohadjer had the opportunity to experience life in the Parliament by shadowing Kumpula-Natri and her team and attending multiple parliamentary meetings and events.

The pairing scheme provided valuable scientific information to Kumpula-Natri’s team, provided Mohadjer with a much better understanding of the policymaking process in the European Parliament, and demonstrated the value of stronger science-policy partnerships. Mohadjer will provide members with more details and her reflections on this scheme in an upcoming GeoLog post.

Based upon the success of this first pairing, EGU plans on running the scheme again next year. Any comments or suggestions regarding these plans can be directed to policy@egu.eu.

• EGU science-policy pairing scheme
• EGU policy pages