EFSA conducts reviews and braces for more dossiers

Related tags Efsa European food safety authority Management

EFSA will open up its doors to external review and evaluation in 2011, as its mandate has evolved considerably over the last five years and structural changes may be required.

The European Food Safety Authority yesterday adopted its €77.3m budget and work plan for the coming year – in which it expects to see yet more demand to give scientific opinions on applications for regulated products. Enzymes, which are subject to pre-market approval under the new FIAP package, are expected to figure high on the to-do list, as well as feed additives.

And once EFSA as well as all the health claim submissions due for opinion in June next year, it expects a new bundle to land on its doorstep.

Evaluations of increasingly-complex regulatory applications now make up two-thirds of its scientific output. EFSA is now being asked for views on environmental impacts, post-market monitoring of GMOs, and efficacy of pesticides.

“EFSA will review its structure to reflect the priorities of the work programme and in particular the increasing number of applications,” it says in its management plan for the new year.

This structural review will come on the back of an externally-led efficiency review, which is already underway and delving into the inner workings of human capital management, organisational structure and functioning, and IT governance.

Second evaluation

In addition to the efficiency and structural reviews, EFSA will also be submitting to its second external evaluation in 2011 – a process that was stipulated in the founding regulation.

“Because EFSA’s mandate and workload has evolved considerably since the time of the last review (2005), it can be anticipated that the upcoming review will have significant implications for the Authority’s future operations,” it said.

On top of that, an interim review of the Strategic Plan 2009-13 will be carried out, to see whether it is being effectively implemented.

Communications

EFSA is continuing to place a high priority on communications, with more technical meetings and events planned to ensure applicants on regulated products are in the loop about what is expected. New “centralised, streamlined” services for applicants are also expected to be introduced.

As for talking to the member states, EFSA’s weighty work load means it needs to find more effective channels to they can see more easily how they can be involved in the authority’s work programme.

EFSA meetings, however, which are currently broadcast as live video webcasts, will switch to audio only. User satisfaction will be measured through online surveys, but the idea is to “maintain transparency while reducing costs”.

Next year EFSA will relocate to a new site in its home city of Parma.