Commission Decision of 5 September 2008 setting up an advisory structure of Scientific Committees and experts in the field of consumer safety, public health and the environment and repealing Decision 2004/210/EC (Text with EEA relevance) (2008/721/EC)

CHAPTER 1 U.K. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 U.K. The advisory structure and its fields of competence

1. An advisory structure on scientific risk assessment in the areas of consumer safety, public health and the environment is hereby established. This structure includes:

(a) the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (hereinafter SCCS);

(b) the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (hereinafter SCHER);

(c) the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (hereinafter SCENIHR);

(d) a Pool of Scientific Advisors on Risk Assessment (hereinafter the Pool), which will support the activities of the Scientific Committees in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Decision.

2. The fields of competence of the advisory structure shall be as set out in Annex I, without prejudice to the competencies conferred by Community legislation to other Community bodies undertaking risk assessment, such as, in particular, the European Food Safety Authority, the European Medicines Agency, the European Chemical Agency and the European Centre for Disease Control.

Article 2 U.K. Mission

1. The Commission shall request a scientific opinion from the Scientific Committees in the cases laid down by Community law.

2. The Commission may also request an opinion from the Committees on questions:

(a) of particular relevance to consumer safety, public health and the environment; and

(b) not falling within the mandate of other Community bodies.

3. The Commission may also request the Scientific Committees to provide rapid advice on the state of scientific knowledge concerning specific risks in case of urgent needs.

4. The Commission may invite a Scientific Committee to identify research needs and assess research results in relation to the subject areas covered by its fields of competence.

5. At the request of the Commission, or acting on their own initiative and in agreement with the Commission, the Scientific Committees may decide to set up thematic workshops in order to review data and scientific knowledge on particular risks or on broad risk assessment issues. At the request of the Commission, they shall produce reports, position papers or conclusions resulting from these workshops.

These workshops may involve, in addition to members of the Committees, scientific advisors from the Pool and external experts, including experts from Community, national or international bodies carrying out similar tasks, as appropriate.

These workshops shall be organised by the Secretariat of the Scientific Committees. The Secretariat shall define and ensure, where appropriate, the dissemination of the reports, position papers or conclusions resulting from the workshops.

6. The Commission may invite the Scientific Committees to be part of thematic networks with other Community bodies or scientific organisations, in order to monitor and contribute to the development of scientific knowledge on risks in the fields of competence defined in Annex I.

7. The Scientific Committees shall draw the Commission’s attention to a specific or emerging problem falling within their remit, which they consider may pose an actual or potential risk to consumer safety, public health or the environment, by adopting and addressing to the Commission memoranda or position statements. The Commission may decide to publish such memoranda and statements and shall determine the action to be taken including, if appropriate, a request for a scientific opinion on the matter.