Risk Assessment for GMOs: The Role for Europe

The purpose of the conference was to clarify EFSA’s role in the whole authorisation procedure and to bring together the different stakeholders that often have converging views. The conference gathered representatives from EU Member States, risk managers and representatives from stakeholders including public health, consumer, environmental groups and industry.

EFSA Executive Director Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle opened the conference and reaffirmed EFSA’s role as a provider of independent scientific advice on GMOs. She underlined the fact that EFSA cannot take a decision on the authorisation of GMOs. Her address touched upon some of the isssues central to the debate on GMOs, namely the divergence of opinion among the key stakeholder groups and the issue of ’acceptability’ among the wider population- indeed she acknowledged that scientific opinions published by EFSA in this field have not been as accepted as those in other fields within the EFSA’s remit. With this she recognised the need to obtain ’risk consensus’- realising that sound scientific advice is not the only element to be considered. EFSA has committed to collecting both scientific and procedural advice, including consulting the Authority’s stakeholder platform.

Director-General for Health and Consumers DG Robert Madelin called for the risk assessment process to be better explained to those who are outside the process. Risk is not a vertically segmented, but is a horizontal issue that falls across policy areas. He addressed the issue of risk management under the next Commission mandate and suggested that the principle of subsidiarity is something that needs to be re-examined; if you have a European risk assessor then there should/could arguably be a European risk manager. This period of political transition, Mr. Madelin stressed, is the most influential time to a have a discussion of this nature, and he therefore welcomed the aims and objectives of the conference.

There followed two plenary sessions, one on assessing the risks for human and animal health and the environment and another on the impact of GM crop cultivation on the environment. The presentations can be found here

Background Information

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment at a European level is carried out by committees and agencies. Agencies have a clear mandate and therefore produce data which reflects that mandate:

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of European Union (EU) risk assessment regarding food and feed safety. In close collaboration with national authorities and in open consultation with its stakeholders, EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks.

EFSA Communicates its scientific opinions to European Commission, the European Parliament and EU Member States. EFSA’s advice frequently supports the risk management and policy-making processes. These may involve the process of adopting or revising European legislation on food or feed safety, deciding whether to approve regulated substances such as pesticides and food additives, or, developing new regulatory frameworks and policies for instance in the field of nutrition. EFSA is not involved in these management processes, but its independent advice gives them a solid scientific foundation.

For more information

EFSA

DG SANCO

EPHA related articles

EPHA communicated position on GMOs to all Commissioners, May 2008

*Update with the Environment Ministers Council* Agreement on GMO approval overhaul

article 3319

EPHA Amendments to the Concerns of the HLG on Competitiveness of Agro-Food Industry