News

EFSA Management Board approves renewal of Scientific Committee and Panels

The European Food Safety Authority’s Management Board has approved the nomination of 174 independent scientific experts to re-establish the Authority’s Scientific Committee and eight [1] of its Panels for a fresh three-year term. EFSA will now contact the experts to notify them of their appointment. The list of selected experts will be published shortly before the first inaugural meetings of the Scientific Committee and the Panels scheduled in June/July 2009. The Board also endorsed the 2010 Preliminary Management Plan and adopted the preliminary draft budget for 2010 as well as the Staff Policy Plan for 2010-2012.

The scientists were among 732 eligible applicants for the positions -- a 7 percent increase compared to the last renewal carried out in 2006. This is the second renewal of EFSA’s Scientific Committee and Panels since the European food safety watchdog was established in 2002.

“The response is an excellent indication of the high level of interest of the European scientific community in EFSA’s work,” Management Board Chair Diána Bánáti said. “We are encouraged by the fact that 79 % of current Panel members reapplied for the positions.”

The Board endorsed EFSA’s Preliminary Management Plan for 2010 which has cooperation with Member States, stakeholders and others associated with the food chain as one of its main priorities.
The Plan also envisages full engagement at international level so that EFSA is constantly aware of global food safety challenges and can play a pivotal role in the exchange of information and data and in risk communications.

The Board also adopted the preliminary draft budget for 2010, amounting to EUR 74.40 million -- a 2 percent increase on the 2009 budget, which will be largely devoted to additional activities in the two scientific directorates.
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Notes for editors:  

• EFSA’s Founding Regulation states that EFSA’s Scientific Committee and Panels are renewed every three years. In October 2008, EFSA launched a call for expressions of interest to a broad European scientific audience. The call closed on 14 January 2009.
• A rigorous selection procedure was co-ordinated by EFSA scientists and reviewed by an external Evaluation Committee comprising three independent experts to draw up a shortlist of candidates.
• The Management Board took a final decision on the composition of the Scientific Committee and Scientific Panels following careful consideration of a proposal presented by EFSA’s Executive Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle.
• The report on the selection process is now available on EFSA’s website and the list of selected scientists will be published shortly before the first inaugural meetings of the Panels and Scientific Committee scheduled in June/July 2009.
• Decision of the Executive Director concerning the selection of members of the Scientific Committee, Scientific Panels and external experts to assist EFSA with its scientific work
  

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