Brussels, 13/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The first meeting of the Management Board of the new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be held on 18/19th September in Brussels (see EUROPE 7 September p 9) and will deal mainly with approving the Board's operating methods and appointing its Chairman and Vice-Chairman. The appointment of the Executive Director, who will be responsible for the day to day management of the Authority as from the beginning of 2003, is also the responsibility of the Management Board but this will be decided on another date. Following this will be the setting up of the Advisory Forum, which will comprise representatives of those agencies in the Member States, which have a similar remit to the Authority.
During this inaugural session, David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, will meet 15 members of the Management Board, who were appointed by the EU Council (after consulting the Parliament and based on a list proposed by the Commission). In a press release the Commissioner declared, " It is the duty of the Board to ensure that EFSA functions effectively and efficiently, so that the potential benefits of the organisation in restoring people's confidence in the food they eat are maximised."