EFSA appoints scientific committee leader

Europe's food safety agency slowly inches forward with a new leader for the heart of its structure - the scientific committee.

Professor Vittorio Silano, a specialist in food related biochemistry, toxicology, chemistry and nutrition, will chair the European Food Safety Authority. Currently at the Italian ministry of Health since 1997, Professor Silano has been vice-chairman of the European Commission's Scientific Steering Committee.

"The set up of the Scientific Committee is another important 'first' for EFSA,"​ said executive director, Geoffrey Podger. The Scientific Committee has, as members, each of the chairs of the scientific panels, together with six other independent experts. The idea being that the committee will fully cover the work of the panels and foster the necessary balance between them, as well as carrying out key risk assessment tasks in their own right.

Filling the shoes of vice-chairs are Dr Ada Knaap from the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands and Dr Pierre Le Neindre of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in France.

The Scientific Committee and panels are responsible for providing the scientific opinions of the EFSA within their individual areas of competence. The Scientific Committee itself is composed of the chairs of each of the eight panels plus the independent experts. Although the panels primarily operate as independent entities, the committee is responsible for the general coordination necessary to ensure the consistency of the scientific opinion procedure.

The central role of the EFSA is to provide independent scientific opinions in support of community legislation and policies. Progress in recruiting staff for the EFSA has been exceptionally slow, hindered by the Parliament's decision to withhold funding for the authority. In addition, political wrangles between member states over the location for the body means that it is still, temporarily, situated in Brussels.