Seven members appointed to EFSA Management Board

Board members re-appointed were: Diána Bánáti and Marianne Elvander. The new members appointed were: Manuel Barreto Dias; Milan Kováč; Stella Michaelidou-Canna; Jan Mousing and Pieter Vanthemsche. All were appointed for their proven expertise and longstanding insight in a broad range of areas within the remit of the Authority’s mission.

The Board helps guarantee EFSA’s independence and ensures it delivers its mandate as defined in its founding Regulation, functions effectively and efficiently, and meets the expectations of European and national institutions, stakeholders and the public. Members do not represent any government, sector or organisation.

"EFSA has been able to grow into a mature organisation and establish itself as reference point in European food safety thanks to the contribution of the Board in helping to set EFSA’s strategies and direction. The newly-appointed members, who all act independently, will help ensure the Board continues to play a crucial role in guiding EFSA to respond to the new opportunities in the area of food and feed safety," said EFSA Executive Director Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle.

The term of office of seven of the Board members ends on 30 June 2010[2]. The newly-appointed members will serve on the Board for a period of four years. The Council’s decision follows consultation with the European Parliament on a list of candidates proposed by the European Commission following an open call for expressions of interest launched in 2009.

Members of the Board will elect the new Chair and vice-chairs at its next meeting.

• More detailed information available soon: Management Board Members

1. Diána Bánáti, (EFSA Management Board chair until 30 June, 2010), Director General of Hungary’s Central Food Research Institute; Professor of Food Safety; Head of Dep. and Chair of Food Regulatory Sciences and Consumer Science; Budapest Corvinus University (BCE); Head of Dep. of Food Science; Szent István University (SZIE);
2. Manuel Barreto Dias, former Deputy Director-General, Scientific Director of the Portuguese Economy and Food Safety Standard Authority (ASAE);
3. Marianne Elvander, (EFSA Management Board deputy chair until 30 June, 2010), Head of Sweden’s Department of Disease Control and Epidemiology; State Epizootiologist at the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala;
4. Milan Kováč, State Adviser at Slovakia’s Agriculture Ministry;
5. Stella Michaelidou-Canna, former Acting Permanent Secretary at Cyprus’s Health Ministry; former Director of the State General Laboratory;
6. Jan Mousing, Chief Veterinary Officer at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration;
7. Pieter Vanthemsche, Chairman of the Belgian Farmers’ Union; chairman of MRBB (Maatschappij voor Roerend Bezit van de Belgische Boerenbond) holding.