Commission Decision of 31 October 2007 amending the list of experts appointed as members of the Scientific Committees in the field of consumer safety, public health and the environment and the prolongation of their term of office (2007/708/EC)

Commission Decision

of 31 October 2007

amending the list of experts appointed as members of the Scientific Committees in the field of consumer safety, public health and the environment and the prolongation of their term of office

(2007/708/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 152 and 153 thereof,

Having regard to Commission Decision 2004/210/EC of 3 March 2004 setting up Scientific Committees in the field of consumer safety, public health and the environment(1), and in particular Article 3 and the first subparagraph of Article 7(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Decision 2004/210/EC provides for the establishment of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (the SCCP), the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (the SCHER) and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (the SCENIHR) (the Scientific Committees). Pursuant to Article 3(4) of that Decision, the Commission is to appoint the members of those Scientific Committees.

(2) Under Article 7(1) of that Decision, as amended by Commission Decision 2007/263/EC, the term of office of the members of the Scientific Committees is limited to three years, and to three consecutive terms. However, the Commission may, in exceptional circumstances, prolong the terms of office of the members of such committees for a period not exceeding 18 months in order to safeguard the continuity of the expertise.

(3) Decision C(2004)2788 on the appointment of the members of the three Scientific Committees set up by Decision 2004/210/EC provides that the experts listed in Annex I to that Decision are appointed as members of the three Scientific Committees set up by Decision 2004/210/EC.

(4) The term of office of current members of the Scientific Committees is due to expire in July 2007. However, the composition of the Scientific Committees needs be amended to take into account the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and establishing the European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC(2). In addition, in order for the Commission to adequately prepare the review of the provision of scientific advice in view of the future tasks of the Scientific Committees, without disrupting the continuity of the scientific advice in the transition period until the establishment of European Chemicals Agency, the term of office of members should be prolonged until 31 December 2008.

(5) The Commission should therefore appoint the members of the Scientific Committees for the period ending 31 December 2008.

(6) Some of the current members of the Scientific Committees have expressed their intention not to remain in office for an additional period until the 31 December 2008. Those members should therefore be deleted from the list of experts appointed as members of the Scientific Committees set out in Annex I to Decision C(2004) 2788.

(7) Decision C(2004) 2788 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

(1)

OJ L 66, 4.3.2004, p. 45. Decision as amended by Decision 2007/263/EC (OJ L 114, 1.5.2007, p. 14).

(2)

OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1; corrected version in OJ L 136, 29.5.2007, p. 3.