Article 14U.K.Diverging opinions, coordination and collaboration with other Community, national or international bodies
1.The Scientific Committees shall assist the Commission and contribute to identifying at an early stage:
(a)needs and possibilities for coordination of work and collaboration;
(b)potential or actual divergences in scientific opinions with other relevant Community, national or international bodies carrying out similar tasks, on general or specific risk assessment issues.
They shall assist the Commission in avoiding, resolving or clarifying divergent opinions and in establishing and maintaining collaboration relationships with such bodies.
2.The Commission may take the initiative to request and organise joint work of the Scientific Committees with Community, national or international bodies carrying out similar tasks. It may in particular request the Scientific Committees to produce joint opinions with other Community bodies, upon agreement with such bodies.
3.Where a substantive divergence over scientific issues has been identified and the body in question is a Community body, the Scientific Committee concerned shall, on the request of the Commission, cooperate with the body concerned with a view to either resolving the divergence or presenting a joint document to the Commission clarifying the contentious scientific issues and identifying the relevant uncertainties in the data. This document shall be made public.