Introduction :
GENETIC ANALYSIS, GENETIC TESTING, DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER GENETIC TESTING, AND PRE-IMPLANTATION DIAGNOSTICS, ESPECIALLY NIPT, ARE EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE FASTEST GROWING AREAS IN SCIENCE. CURRENTLY, IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER THEY ARE A BLESSING OR A CURSE. REGULATIONS AND ETHICAL POINTS OF VIEW ON GENETIC TESTING AND DIAGNOSTICS VARY NOT ONLY BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES BUT ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. AS A RESULT DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO AND VIEWS ON GENETIC TESTING AND INFORMED CONSENT REQUIREMENTS CAN BE FOUND. CURRENT DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL REGIMES FOR THE REGULATION OF GENETIC TESTING AND THE RESPECTIVE INFORMED CONSENT REQUIREMENTS ARE INADEQUATE TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES POSED BY CONFLICTING REGULATORY REGIMES FOR GENETIC TESTING AND SCREENING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ROLE OF THE GENETIC COUNSELOR IS DEFINED AND ORGANIZED DIFFERENTLY, IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, IN TERMS OF CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS, GOVERNANCE AND EXPECTATIONS. LEGISLATORS, REGULATORY AGENCIES, PROFESSIONALS AND EVEN COURTS STRUGGLE WITH DEVELOPING SPECIFIC POLICIES AND GUIDELINES TO ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENETIC TESTING AND SCREENING, AND WITH DEVELOPING A GENETIC COUNSELING MODEL PROTECTING THE CITIZENS, AS RESEARCH SUBJECTS OR PATIENTS IN DIVERSE PRACTICES AND TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING “GENETIC INFORMATION” AND ASKING FOR RELATED PROFESSIONAL COUNSEL, SUCH AS ON THE NATURE OF THE TESTS, THE IMPACT OF ANY RESULTS ON THEIR OWN LIVES OR ASSOCIATED RISKS AND BENEFITS. THUS, THE GUIDING QUESTION, HOW THE EMERGING PROFESSION OF NEW GENETICS AND GENOMICS COUNSELORS SHOULD BE QUALIFIED, PRACTICING, ORGANIZED, PROTECTED AND GOVERNED FOR THE BENEFIT OF INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY, IS INDEED AS OBVIOUS AND URGENT AS IT IS PUZZLING NOT ONLY IN EUROPE BUT WORLDWIDE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CURRENT REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS AND ETHICAL EVALUATION VARIETIES . IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THIS WORKSHOP, PARTICIPANTS WILL TAKE ANOTHER STEP ACROSS DISCIPLINARY BORDERS. WITH OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY, INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP WE WANT TO SET THE SCENE TOWARDS A GENETIC COUNSELING MODEL LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCED, INTERNATIONAL AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY PARTICIPANTS IN THE AREA OF GENETIC TESTING AND COUNSELING REPRESENTING VARIOUS CULTURES SUCH AS DIFFERENT EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES, THE UNITED STATES, CHINA AND SERBIA. THROUGH THIS NETWORK, NEW ETHICAL ISSUES WILL BE ISOLATED AND STUDIED DEEPLY AS THEY DESERVE AND PUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EXISTING EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS TOWARDS A DECISION MAKING MODEL IN GENETIC COUNSELING ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.