Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

SECTION 2 U.K. ORGANISATION

Article 24 U.K. Bodies of the Authority

The Authority shall comprise:

(a)

a Management Board;

(b)

an Executive Director and his staff;

(c)

an Advisory Forum;

(d)

a Scientific Committee and Scientific Panels.

Article 25 U.K. Management Board

1. The Management Board shall be composed of 14 members appointed by the Council in consultation with the European Parliament from a list drawn up by the Commission which includes a number of candidates substantially higher than the number of members to be appointed, plus a representative of the Commission. Four of the members shall have their background in organisations representing consumers and other interests in the food chain.

The list drawn up by the Commission, accompanied by the relevant documentation, shall be forwarded to the European Parliament. As soon as possible and within three months of such communication, the European Parliament may make its views available for consideration by the Council, which will then appoint the Management Board.

The members of the Board shall be appointed in such a way as to secure the highest standards of competence, a broad range of relevant expertise and, consistent with these, the broadest possible geographic distribution within the Union.

2. Members' term of office shall be four years, and may be renewed once. However, for the first mandate, this period shall be six years for half of the members.

3. The Management Board shall adopt the Authority's internal rules on the basis of a proposal by the Executive Director. These rules shall be made public.

4. The Management Board shall elect one of its members as its Chair for a two-year period, which shall be renewable.

5. The Management Board shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Unless otherwise provided, the Management Board shall act by a majority of its members.

6. The Management Board shall meet at the invitation of the Chair or at the request of at least a third of its members.

7. The Management Board shall ensure that the Authority carries out its mission and performs the tasks assigned to it under the conditions laid down in this Regulation.

8. Before 31 January each year, the Management Board shall adopt the Authority's programme of work for the coming year. It shall also adopt a revisable multi-annual programme. The Management Board shall ensure that these programmes are consistent with the Community's legislative and policy priorities in the area of food safety.

Before 30 March each year, the Management Board shall adopt the general report on the Authority's activities for the previous year.

[F1 9. The financial rules applicable to the Authority shall be adopted by the Management Board after the Commission has been consulted. They may not depart from Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 of 19 November 2002 on the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (1) unless such departure is specifically required for the Authority's operation and the Commission has given its prior consent.]

10. The Executive Director shall take part in the meetings of the Management Board, without voting rights, and shall provide the Secretariat. The Management Board shall invite the Chair of the Scientific Committee to attend its meetings without voting rights.

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Regulation (EC) No 1642/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety.

Article 26 U.K. Executive Director

1. The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Management Board, on the basis of a list of candidates proposed by the Commission after an open competition, following publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities and elsewhere of a call for expressions of interest, for a period of five years which shall be renewable. Before appointment the candidate nominated by the Management Board shall be invited without delay to make a statement before the European Parliament and answer questions put by members of this institution. The Executive Director may be removed from office by a majority of the Management Board.

2. The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the Authority and shall be responsible for:

(a) the day-to-day administration of the Authority;

(b) drawing up a proposal for the Authority's work programmes in consultation with the Commission;

(c) implementing the work programmes and the decisions adopted by the Management Board;

(d) ensuring the provision of appropriate scientific, technical and administrative support for the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels;

(e) ensuring that the Authority carries out its tasks in accordance with the requirements of its users, in particular with regard to the adequacy of the services provided and the time taken;

[F1 (f) the preparation of the Authority's draft statement of estimates of revenue and expenditure, and the execution of its budget;]

(g) all staff matters;

(h) developing and maintaining contact with the European Parliament, and for ensuring a regular dialogue with its relevant committees.

[F1 3. Each year, the Executive Director shall submit to the Management Board for approval:

(a) a draft general report covering all the activities of the Authority in the previous year;

(b) draft programmes of work.

The Executive Director shall, following adoption by the Management Board, forward the programmes of work to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Member States, and shall have them published.

The Executive Director shall, following adoption by the Management Board and by 15 June, forward the Authority's general report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, and shall have it published.

The Executive Director shall forward annually to the budgetary authority all information relevant to the outcome of the evaluation procedures.]

F2 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Regulation (EC) No 1642/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety.

F2 Deleted by Regulation (EC) No 1642/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety.

Article 27 U.K. Advisory Forum

1. The Advisory Forum shall be composed of representatives from competent bodies in the Member States which undertake tasks similar to those of the Authority, on the basis of one representative designated by each Member State. Representatives may be replaced by alternates, appointed at the same time.

2. Members of the Advisory Forum may not be members of the Management Board.

3. The Advisory Forum shall advise the Executive Director in the performance of his duties under this Regulation, in particular in drawing up a proposal for the Authority's work programme. The Executive Director may also ask the Advisory Forum for advice on the prioritisation of requests for scientific opinions.

4. The Advisory Forum shall constitute a mechanism for an exchange of information on potential risks and the pooling of knowledge. It shall ensure close cooperation between the Authority and the competent bodies in the Member States in particular on the following items:

(a) avoidance of duplication of the Authority's scientific studies with Member States, in accordance with Article 32;

(b) in those circumstances identified in Article 30(4), where the Authority and a national body are obliged to cooperate;

(c) in the promoting of the European networking of organisations operating within the fields of the Authority's mission, in accordance with Article 36(1);

(d) where the Authority or a Member State identifies an emerging risk.

5. The Advisory Forum shall be chaired by the Executive Director. It shall meet regularly at the invitation of the Chair or at the request of at least a third of its members, and not less than four times per year. Its operational procedures shall be specified in the Authority's internal rules and shall be made public.

6. The Authority shall provide the technical and logistic support necessary for the Advisory Forum and provide the Secretariat for its meetings.

7. Representatives of the Commission's departments may participate in the work of the Advisory Forum. The Executive Director may invite representatives of the European Parliament and from other relevant bodies to take part.

Where the Advisory Forum discusses the matters referred to in Article 22(5)(b), representatives from competent bodies in the Member States which undertake tasks similar to those referred to in Article 22(5)(b) may participate in the work of the Advisory Forum, on the basis of one representative designated by each Member State.

Article 28 U.K. Scientific Committee and Scientific Panels

1. The Scientific Committee and permanent Scientific Panels shall be responsible for providing the scientific opinions of the Authority, each within their own spheres of competence, and shall have the possibility, where necessary, of organising public hearings.

2. The Scientific Committee shall be responsible for the general coordination necessary to ensure the consistency of the scientific opinion procedure, in particular with regard to the adoption of working procedures and harmonisation of working methods. It shall provide opinions on multisectoral issues falling within the competence of more than one Scientific Panel, and on issues which do not fall within the competence of any of the Scientific Panels.

Where necessary, and particularly in the case of subjects which do not fall within the competence of any of the Scientific Panels, the Scientific Committee shall set up working groups. In such cases, it shall draw on the expertise of those working groups when establishing scientific opinions.

3. The Scientific Committee shall be composed of the Chairs of the Scientific Panels and six independent scientific experts who do not belong to any of the Scientific Panels.

4. The Scientific Panels shall be composed of independent scientific experts. When the Authority is established, the following Scientific Panels shall be set up:

(a) the Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food;

(b) the Panel on additives and products or substances used in animal feed;

[F3 (c) the Panel on plant protection products and their residues;]

(d) the Panel on genetically modified organisms;

(e) the Panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies;

(f) the Panel on biological hazards;

(g) the Panel on contaminants in the food chain;

(h) the Panel on animal health and welfare[F3 ;]

[F4 (i) the Panel on plant health.]

The number and names of the Scientific Panels may be adapted in the light of technical and scientific development by the Commission, at the Authority's request, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 58(2).

5. The members of the Scientific Committee who are not members of Scientific Panels and the members of the Scientific Panels shall be appointed by the Management Board, acting upon a proposal from the Executive Director, for a three-year term of office, which shall be renewable, following publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities, in relevant leading scientific publications and on the Authority's website of a call for expressions of interest.

6. The Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels shall each choose a Chair and two Vice-Chairs from among their members.

7. The Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels shall act by a majority of their members. Minority opinions shall be recorded.

8. The representatives of the Commission's departments shall be entitled to be present in the meetings of the Scientific Committee, the Scientific Panels and their working groups. If invited to do so, they may assist for the purposes of clarification or information but shall not seek to influence discussions.

9. The procedures for the operation and cooperation of the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels shall be laid down in the Authority's internal rules.

These procedures shall relate in particular to:

(a) the number of times that a member can serve consecutively on a Scientific Committee or Scientific Panel;

(b) the number of members in each Scientific Panel;

(c) the procedure for reimbursing the expenses of members of the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels;

(d) the manner in which tasks and requests for scientific opinions are assigned to the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels;

(e) the creation and organisation of the working groups of the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels, and the possibility of external experts being included in those working groups;

(f) the possibility of observers being invited to meetings of the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Panels;

(g) the possibility of organising public hearings.

Textual Amendments

F3 Substituted by Commission Regulation (EC) No 575/2006 of 7 April 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the number and names of the permanent Scientific Panels of the European Food Safety Authority.

F4 Inserted by Commission Regulation (EC) No 575/2006 of 7 April 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the number and names of the permanent Scientific Panels of the European Food Safety Authority.

(1)

[F1 OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72 ; corrigendum in OJ L 2, 7.1.2003, p. 39 .]

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Regulation (EC) No 1642/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety.