In an article published on April 20, 2018, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) informed about the results of the joint symposium “on risk assessment and risk management cooperation on environmental protection goals,” which it held together with the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) in October 2017 in Oslo, Norway.
At the symposium EFSA presented its 2016 guidance providing “a harmonized methodological framework using the ecosystem services concept to derive practical, specific environmental protection goals, regardless of the regulated product or organism that is being assessed.” The symposium participants concluded that the presented framework is suitable, but “risk managers and risk assessors need a deeper knowledge of ecosystem services.” Furthermore, they “need to communicate in a better way,” providing a more precise definition of “protection goals” and fostering a dialogue across fields.
Discussions and recommendations from the symposium are presented in a summary report published on April 18, 2018.
Read more
EFSA (April 20, 2018). “Environmental risk: urgent needs for harmonization.”
References
Finne, M. A., Wende.., M., VKM, and EFSA (April 18, 2018). “Summary Report of Joint VKM and EFSA Symposium on risk assessment and risk management cooperation on environmental protection goals.” EFSA Supporting Publications
EFSA (June 17, 2016). “Guidance to develop specific protection goals options for environmental risk assessment at EFSA, in relation to biodiversity and ecosystem services.”
