Addressing a recently published criticism of maladministration by the European Ombudsman (FPF previously reported), EFSA released a short statement on March 31, 2014 clarifying that public perception with regards to EFSA’s independence was indeed important (EFSA 2014). The statement addresses only one of the two points raised by the Ombudsman, namely not responding to an inquiry by PAN Europe, a non-profit organization, regarding conflicts of interest for members on EFSA’s recent TTC panel. The TTC panel was tasked with evaluating the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) approach used in chemical risk assessment and finished its work in 2012 (EFSA 2012).
In its statement, EFSA announces a forthcoming Transparency Policy draft document that will be published for public consultation in the coming months.
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EFSA (March 31, 2014). “EFSA statement about European Ombudsman decision.”
EFSA (2012). “Scientific Opinion on exploring options for providing advice about possible human health risks based on the concept of Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC).(pdf)” EFSA Journal 2012;10(7):2750.
FPF article “TTC: EFSA found guilty of maladministration”
FPF article “Threshold of Toxicological Concern“
