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Brussels, 5 July 2002
"EUROPEAN CONSUMERS BETRAYED BY THEIR GOVERNMENTS"
In the last few days, representatives of Member State governments have agreed the composition of the new European Food Safety Authority ("EFSA") Management Board. The proposed Board is expected to be adopted as a fait accompli at a future Council of Ministers meeting.
Although four of the seats on the EFSA Board were reserved for organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain, only one seat is to be allocated to consumer organisations - while at the same time, there will be a total of four seats for farmers and the food industry; in other words, farmers and the food industry will each have twice as many seats as consumers.
"Such an inequitable representation gives a very worrying signal about the independence of the new EFSA. There is now a very real risk that the EFSA will be dominated by political and economic interests to the detriment of consumers, who were looking to the EFSA to restore their confidence in the food they eat", comments Dónal Walshe, EURO COOP Secretary General. "If the Member States genuinely wanted to restore consumer confidence in food, then they should have ensured a stronger consumer voice on the EFSA Board by allocating more seats to consumer organisations - including EURO COOP. However, by allocating only one seat to consumers - while giving four to farmers and the food industry, it would appear that Europe's governments have effectively betrayed their own consumers" says Mr Walshe.
"Moreover", adds Mr Walshe, "the very legality of allocating four seats to farmers and the food industry alone is questionable - as the EC Regulation setting-up the EFSA clearly allocates four seats to representatives of consumers and other interests in the food chain."
"EURO COOP was well-placed to represent the interests of European consumers on the EFSA Board as it is one of the longest-established European consumer organisations. It represents over 20 million consumers in 15 national associations of consumer cooperatives across Europe. Moreover, Food Policy has always been a priority for EURO COOP. It has published many papers on food issues over the years which have been taken on board by EU institutions" concludes Mr Walshe.
Ends.
For further information, contact:
Dónal WALSHE, Secretary General
ou
Aude L'hirondel, Food Policy Officer
Tel.: +32.(0)2.285.00.70 - Fax: +32.(0)2.231.07.57 - E-mail: Info@eurocoop.org
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