Brussels, 05/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - To mark the 10th anniversary of the EU legislation which, in 2002, instituted the European Food Safety Agency, EFSA is organising a joint conference with the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Consumers in Parma on 13 November. This will give EFSA, together with all interested parties, the opportunity to take stock of its actions, but, more importantly, to sum up the challenges it will face in the future. Hence the name of this brainstorming session: “EFSA@10: Ready for the challenges of tomorrow”, which will bring together experts in food safety, representations of the European institutions, the public authorities of the member states, farmers, university and research circles, NGOs and the media. On the same day, the European Parliament in Brussels will host the hearing of Dr Tonio Borg, candidate for the post of European Commissioner for Health and Consumers to replace John Dalli, the Commissioner who has recently stepped down, who was responsible for the food safety and GMO authorisation portfolio.
For Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, executive director of EFSA, the importance of this anniversary conference can be summed up as follows: “In the decade since EFSA was established, relations between the institutions that hold responsibility for ensuring food safety in Europe have been redefined and today we enjoy a period of unprecedented cooperation. The benefits we have accrued from our combined efforts and from the investment Europe has made in risk assessment are clear. But our focus today is forward; the operating context of EFSA's work has evolved significantly since 2002 and we face an era of continuing economic uncertainty. It is important - as we look into the horizon - that we make wise use of the signals we have received from, among others, the second external evaluation of EFSA”. This glowing assessment, published on 5 September, laid emphasis on the high quality of the scientific expertise, impartiality, culture and transparency, quality of the raising of awareness of risks associated with the food chain and the role of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) as a pillar in European scientific assessment to the benefit of the authorities responsible for risk management within the EU (see EUROPE 10682). However, the report by the Court of Auditors of the EU which recently pointed the finger at poor management of conflicts of interest by EU agencies - including EFSA - (special report no. 15/2012, see EUROPE 10708), and question marks over the Séralini report and on the transparency of European expertise in assessing risks of GMOs (see EUROPE 10722 and 10704), also feature among the many issues flagged up to EFSA.
The conference will focus on two themes: 1. Sharing learning, shaping EFSA's future. The participants will discuss the future evolution of EFSA, but from an institutional and a scientific point of view, with Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at the British consumer organisation Which? and Chair of EFSA's management board; and Anthony Hardy, chair of EFSA's Scientific Committee. Paola Testori Coggi, director-general of DG SANCO of the Commission, Dagmar Roth-Behrendt, a member of the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, and Paolo Martinello, president of BEUC, will also be among the speakers. 2. Can science work harder to support policy-makers in protecting consumers? The reflection will focus on the role and weight of science as a tool in support of legislation, compared to other factors which risk managers (policy-makers) take into account in their decisions aiming to protect consumers from any risks related to animal or human food. The debate will be chaired by Marit Paulsen, vice-chair of the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. Also taking part will be Massimiano Bucchi, Professor at the University of Trento, David Byrne, former European Commissioner for Health, Piet Vanthemsche, president of “Boerenbond”, the Belgian Farmers' Union, Steven Bradbury, Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), José Bové, Vice-chair of the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Guido Rasi, executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Anthony Hardy, chair of EFSA's Scientific Committee.
Regulation 178/2002 of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and general requirements of food legislation, instituting the European Food Safety Agency and laying down the procedures for the safety of foodstuffs was the EU's response to the mad cow crisis. A scientific institution which has been pivotal in food safety in the Union, EFSA aims to issue independent scientific opinions, take position on technical issues to help with the drafting of legislative texts, to gather data on food risks from farm to table, without any involvement in risk management, which remains the competence of the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. (AN/transl.fl)