Activities of Bas EICKHOUT related to 2023/2151(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Food Safety Authority for the financial year 2022
Amendments (7)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Considers that six years after the updating of the Authority’s independence policy, its limits in addressing properly the main independence loopholes have become evident; notes with concern that continuous controversies around conflicts of interest risk undermining the scientific reliability and credibility of the Authority; regrets that the new independence policy has not led to any tangible change in the Authority’s policy to select experts and in the working groups composition;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Calls on EFSA to expressly include national interests and political pressure in its independence policy definition of conflicts of interests and adopt a precise definition of ‘expert’ and ‘external expert’; calls on EFSA to ensure that all management and advisory members, their alternates and other experts have dutifully submitted the annual declarations of interest;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Notes that the sectors where conflicts of interests occur more often are ‘Animal Health and Welfare’ and ‘Pesticides’1c; calls EFSA to publish the names of experts giving testimony and opinions about the safety of chemicals used in foods; Calls on the Authority to publicly commit to carry out an independent and transparent risk assessment of glyphosate, taking into account all available scientific evidence from peer-reviewed independent literature; _________________ 1c Vos, E., Volpato, A., Bellenghi, G., 2023, Independence and transparency policies of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), publication for the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies, European Parliament, Luxembourg. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/STUD/2023/740080/IPOL_STU(20 23)740080_EN.pdf
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Deplores the long delay on the safety assessments of sweeteners due to be completed in 2020 and the inaccessibility of documents and processes to the external interested audience1d; highlights the new and relevant evidence on negative health effects of aspartame since the 2013 opinion of EFSA, notably the classification of aspartame (E961) as a possible group 2B human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); therefore calls EFSA to review the safety of aspartame by 31 December 2024; _________________ 1d https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/consultatio ns/call/call-technical-data-sweeteners- authorised-food-additives-eu
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Recalls that in its ninth term, the Parliament has already adopted 34 resolutions objecting to the placing on the market of GMOs for food and feed; highlights that one reason for these objections are gaps in the risk assessment undertaken by the Authority's Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms; urges the Authority to address and close these gaps as a matter of urgency;
Amendment 12 #
7. Recommends, based on the facts available, that discharge be granted to the Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority in respect of the implementation of the Authority's budget for the financial year 2022 if commitments are given in terms of independence policy and management of conflict of interests.