France creates super safety agency
France has announced the creation of ANSES - the largest health agency in Europe - after the merger of its food safety and environmental and occupational health bodies.
The country’s food safety body, AFSSA, and its Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (AFSSET) were combined on 1 July. A Government statement said the new agency “meets the imperative need for multi-disciplinary expertise to deal with risks facing” French society as well as offering Europe a health agency model.
It will have a board consisting of representatives from public authorities, labour unions, professional bodies, NGOs and non-profit organisations. There will also be four steering committees and a number of scientific panels. Nominations for these are expected to be made by September 2010 and a work programme finalised by the autumn.
