Last update: 02/2004
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What is EFSA-NET?
Objectives
Achievements
Who will benefit?
How will it work
The role of IDA
Technical information
Documentation
What is EFSA-NET?
EFSA-NET is a telematics network and IT support mechanism that will assist the recently created European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to meet its goals. The creation of EFSA and the establishment of a corpus of legislation covering all aspects of food products from 'farm to table' were the top priorities of the White Paper on Food Safety.
According to Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002, the Authority is primarily a scientific risk assessment body. EFSA responsibilities are:
- The scientific evaluation of risks,
- The collection and analysis of scientific data,
- Safety evaluations of dossiers put forward by industry for Community level approval of substances or processes,
- Identification of emerging risks,
- Scientific support to the Commission particularly in the case of a food safety crisis,
- Direct communication to the public and other interested parties of information concerning matters of safety of the food chain.
The work of EFSA covers all stages of production and supply, from primary production, animal feed, right through to the supply of food to consumers. It deals with all issues having a direct or indirect impact on the safety of the food and feed supply chains, plant health, and animal health and welfare.
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Objectives
The network's main objective is to ensure and increase the efficiency of EFSA in providing independent scientific food safety advice and performing risk assessments. To do this, it is examining the existing and/or planned IT practices of EC and relevant Member State's food safety administrations, and will propose key procedures and a suitable telematics network.
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How will it work?
The Authority will gather information from all parts of the globe and will ensure awareness of new scientific developments.It will then share its findings and listen to the views of others through a vast telematics network that will be developed over time.
Once fully online, EFSA-NET will provide the telematics network solution for the different stakeholders involved in EFSA.
The network will be complemented by a web-based collaboration tool for the exchange of documents needed by the committees, panels and workgroups of the EFSA and the participants to its work.
Both the Internet and TESTA will enable collaboration. High-level security tools will secure the EFSA applications, EFSA documents and data transmission.
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Achievements
- The project is still under development. News on the latest developments can be found on the EFSA website.
- The development of the EFSA web portal has been completed. This provides EFSA with a web production environment where content is easy to manage and maintain.
- A kick-off meeting took place to:
- Fine-tune the process of generating scientific opinions within EFSA and DG Health and Consumer Protection Directorate C;
- Identify common elements,
- Introduce quality management,
- Assemble a backbone and build a pilot for four different opinion generating processes.
- Training started to increase the use of CIRCA.
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Who will benefit?
Citizens: Since provision is being made to have access to some of the EFSA information by the general public, citizens will be able to have first-hand information on matters that affect their health.
Public Administrations, businesses and professionals: EFSA, European institutions, relevant national bodies and administrations, applicants for dossier authorisations and independent scientists working in the scientific committees and panels will certainly gain a collaborative environment for information exchange.
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The role of IDA
IDA is funding the development of the network. EFSA will also use IDA's TESTA network for the exchange of information between European administrations.
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Technical information
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Documentation: |
Print
European Food Authority GIP - September 2001(PDF)
