EFSA work at risk in cash crisis

The remit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will have to be completely redefined unless plans to freeze its budget are scrapped, bosses have warned.

Speaking ahead of EFSA's management board meeting in London on March 29, the director of international and institutional affairs Christine Majewski said: "We need euro 62M (£42.8M) next year. If the budget is frozen, we'll only get euro 48M, and yet we are still expected to meet all our legal requirements.

"If we don't get at least euro 57.8M, the budgetary authorities will have to redefine what it is we are supposed to do."

She added: "We are still getting new requests from the European Commission (EC) to assess things like maximum residue levels, crops and plant health, while our workload is also likely to increase as a result of new legislation on issues like health claims and fortification of foods, novel foods and food additives. If we only get euro 48M, it will be impossible to do what we have been asked to do and we would have to ask the EC what it is that it doesn't want us to do any more."

While the EC was considering the feasibility of EFSA charging fees for its services, this would not solve its short-term cash crisis, she claimed.

"Even if this went through like an express train, it would take two to three years before we could start charging for evaluating scientific studies and vetting ingredients, packaging and food contact materials.

"It will have to go out for public consultation, then through a period of debate and discussion, and then through the co-decision procedure in the European Parliament and Council."

EFSA's budget came out of a European Union pot called 3B, which covered health and consumer protection, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, culture and youth, explained Majewski.

"Back in June last year, the expectation was that 3B would get euro 550M in 2007, and then more money each year until 2013, when it would get euro 740M."

Last December, however, the European Council proposed a freeze on the budget at just euro 520M a year, every year, until 2013, she said.

"Basically, it was frozen in the Council without really considering the huge growth in health policy that we are seeing," claimed Majewski. The final figure allocated to group 3B would not be decided until December this year, she said.

EFSA was set up to provide independent scientific advice, information and risk assessment in food and feed safety.