Parma, Italy
March 27, 2007
In the year that the European
Union turns 50, one of its newest institutions,
the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA), celebrates its first five years. EFSA’s
Management Board today reaffirmed its commitment to protect the
health of EU consumers through delivering scientific risk
assessments of the highest standard to inform European policy
and risk management decisions on food safety. The Board
confirmed its support to EFSA’s Scientific Committee and Panels,
to assist them in providing scientific opinions in a timely and
transparent fashion. Plans to mark EFSA’s 5th anniversary were
announced at its Management Board meeting in Berlin today, 27th
March. These include a range of activities to mark its fifth
anniversary, including a major Scientific Forum in November in
Brussels.
Professor Patrick Wall, Chair of the EFSA Management Board said:
“50 years of European cooperation and partnership is a major
anniversary and the establishment of EFSA five years ago was
also an important milestone for Europe. A series of food scares
culminating in BSE damaged consumer confidence in both the
safety of the European food chain and the commitment of
regulators and industry to put consumers’ health before all
other interests. EFSA has now become established as Europe’s
independent food authority that puts the consumer first, with
its work underpinned by the scientific risk assessments of
independent experts.”
EFSA Executive Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, presented
Management Board members with a detailed programme of activities
to celebrate EFSA’s fifth anniversary. She said: “Five years on,
we plan to look back on what we have achieved so far in our
short life and also, most importantly, to look ahead and
stimulate discussions about future challenges in risk
assessment. Our activities will culminate in November in
Brussels with both a Scientific Forum and a Food Safety Summit,
to debate the issues of the future such as nanotechnology,
animal cloning and nutrition.”
During the meeting in Berlin, held at the German Federal
Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the Board agreed on the
need for greater support to EFSA’s panel scientists. The annual
EFSA Management Board Away Day on March 26 focussed on the work
of its scientific panels and working groups, the heart of the
organisation responsible for its scientific opinions, and how
best to support independent experts, who are drawn from
throughout the EU and undertake their work for EFSA in addition
to their day jobs.
Members also discussed a public consultation launched by the
European Commission on the feasibility of EFSA levying fees for
its scientific risk assessments. While it is clear that the
source of EFSA’s funding is a matter for risk managers, the
Board reaffirmed that it is crucial that EFSA is adequately
resourced to undertake its work on behalf of EU consumers and
cautioned that any decision regarding the introduction of fees
should carefully consider the impact that such decisions could
have on perceptions of EFSA’s independence.
Information on the activities planned for EFSA’s Five Year
Anniversary is to be found at:
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/about_efsa/efsa_5th_anniversary.html
All documents relating to the Management Board meeting are
available on the EFSA website at:
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/mboard/mb_meetings.html |
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