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Bergman: "We cannot work inisolation...

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EFSA chiefs: 'It is important EFSAunderstands the context of its scientificopinions'By Shane Starling+ , 04-Nov-2013

Related topics: i!res and car!ohydrates, "ognitive and mental #$nction, %nd$stry, &ealth claims

After NutraIngredients attended EFSAs one-day transparency debate recently !e sat do!n !ith panelheads and found an agency content !ith its transparency progress and its broader role as protector ofE" food safety#

'he (cto!er transparency de!ate at ) S* s arma, %taly, & raised many .$estions a!o$t ho/ to ma e dataavaila!le to the p$!lic, /hile protecting !$siness and research interests %t has also provo ed conversation a!o$tcon#licts o# interest and ho/ !est to separate ris management and ris assessment in the )$ropean nion

*t the meeting, the .$estion /as as ed /hether the )$ropean ood Sa#ety *$thority ) S*, ris assessor and the)$ropean "ommission ris manager needed to !e less independent o# each other, essentially to add a morepolitical element and conte5t to ) S* s o$tp$t

) S* s er Bergman, director o# Scienti#ic )val$ation o# Reg$lated rod$cts, said independence did not necessarilymean operating in a conte5t$al vac$$m

It is important that EFSA as risk assessor understands the context of its scientific opinions we cannot work inisolation said pro#essor Bergman

!here are some who sa that the #ommission and EFSA do not understand each other $ut I would turn it aroundand sa that the separation of risk mana%ement and risk assessment has $een a success.

All parties ha&e $enefitted from this $ecause we ha&e specialised in ourrespecti&e roles. We ha&e taken real measures to clarif not onl the role $utalso what is expected of us. I think we ha&e done a %ood 'o$ of this. (ut if westop interactin% then it will not work.

So a #ine line then

Separation of po!ers

* good e5ample o# this 6separation o# po/ers /as a recent ) S* positiveopinion on the role o# car!ohydrates #or !rain health, /hich /as s$!se.$entlyre7ected !y the )$ropean arliament as not $se#$l to )$ropean pop$lations

)ven some o# the Stras!o$rg parliamentarians that re7ected the N8* panelopinion, agreed it /as scienti#ically valid, !$t they #elt the claim /o$ld not!ene#it p$!lic health So it /as i!oshed ) S* had done its scienti#ic /or , thearliament its political /or or many, a #ine e5ample o# a #$nctioning andhealthy system that gives disparate parties e.$al opport$nity to e5ert in#l$enceon the end decision

)o one can den that %l caemic car$oh drates are important for the functionof the $rain* it is well*esta$lished science pro#essor Bergman said

!hen it mo&es to the authorisation process where EFSA is not in&ol&ed at all and then the mem$er states the#ommission the +arliament ha&e to take into account the EFSA opinion $ut also other factors.

At that le&el it is possi$le like caffeine that some claims will $e $locked. I think that is a %ood thin%. !he panelalwa s considers the limit of its mandate * to sta within the science and not %et into the risk mana%ement.

$bser%ation obser%ations

Bac on the s$!7ect o# transparency, 9aleri$ "$rt$i, head o# the N$trition nit, agreed /ith ) S* management!oard chair S$e 8avies in the p$sh #or more open panels /ith more o!servers

We will continue to open panels to o$ser&ers "$rt$i said We welcome o$ser&ers to the panels $ut of coursethere are certain su$'ects that cannot $e opened to the pu$lic like certain claims. So we can onl open thosesessions where we discuss non*confidential issues.

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Workin% %roups are more sensiti&e $ecause the workin% %roup needs to discuss su$'ects more openl .

ore !roadly Bergman s$ggested many o# the commercial sector s concerns a!o$t data protection /ere already metin e5isting la/s and g$idelines, even as the agency recognised the need #or ongoing evol$tion in certain areas

EFSA has to adhere to the le%islation as it stands toda $oth in terms of protection of $usiness and the pu$lic ri%htto information. We simpl adhere to the decision taken most of the time $ the European #ommission.

,uestion is- Wh is an thin% confidential in the dossiers !he answer is that the names of the stud directorscontact details %ene se/uences production processes etc. sometimes need to $e protected either for pri&ac or

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