Why EFSA is not (yet?) independent

A background presentation given to EFSA's workshop on its independence policy

Why scandals of conflicts of interest keep accumulating at the European Food Safety Authority?

In this presentation given today at a workshop on its independence policy organised by EFSA, CEO provides an overview of the various conflicts of interest scandals that have compromised the EU's food safety's authority's reputation, explains the main reasons for this situation (poorly equipped to fulfill its mission, the authority sacrifices its independence on short-term operational considerations), points at the elements within the agency's current independence policy that enable this situation (the agency actually enables conflicts of interest as long as they are not "general and evident"), and proposes some suggestions to improve the situation. But is there any political will within EFSA and the European Commission to actually change the situation?

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