WRITTEN QUESTION P-1395/03

by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE) to the Commission

(10 April 2003)

Subject: Siting of the headquarters of the European Food Safety Agency

According to newspaper reports citing Finnish diplomatic sources, the governments of Italy and Finland have come to an agreement to subdivide the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) into two offices, which would be based in Parma and Helsinki respectively. These reports also indicate that this agreement already has the support of the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and that the Agriculture Commissioner, Franz Fischler, would not object to the agency being split into two, which would surely contradict the repeated public statements made by Commissioner Byrne.

This a matter of great importance with regard to the agency and its duties, because several cities (Barcelona, Helsinki, Lille and Parma) are candidates to play host to its headquarters and because Parliament has been called to adopt repeated positions on this subject.

Given these circumstances and in the light of the fact that a final decision on the EFSA headquarters has been pending since the Laeken European Council of 19 December 2001, when it was agreed to provisionally site the agency in Brussels despite the fact that this transience and attendant uncertainty will adversely affect the work the Agency is already in a position to do and its chances of recruiting experts, thereby fuelling the concerns of European citizens who have already had to cope with several food safety crises in recent years:

What information does the Commission have concerning this supposed agreement?

What has been the European Commission's role in this matter, bearing in mind that it is for the Council to take the final decision?

Is it true that the agreement between Italy and Finland has the Commission's support?

If so, what are the grounds and reasoning behind the Commission's opting for this solution?

If this is not the case, given that no formal decision has yet been taken on the EFSA headquarters, what effect does the Commission feel this transience will have on work at the Agency's temporary headquarters in Brussels and on the officials currently employed there?

Has the Commission received any request from the Spanish Government for it to consider or clarify its position with regard to Barcelona's candidature?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(21 May 2003)

The European Council agreed in Laeken (19 December 2001) to resolve the question of the European Food Safety Authority's final location as part of an overall agreement on the headquarters of the various new European agencies.

Since it did not wish to jeopardise plans for the Authority to begin its operations in 2002, as agreed at the Nice Summit and confirmed in Gothenburg, it agreed at this point that the Authority could begin its work in Brussels until this overall agreement was reached.

This solution allowed the Authority to get operations under way quickly. The Authority's Management Board has been in operation since September 2002 and its Executive Director and Advisory Forum have been in place since the beginning of 2003. Its Scientific Committee and Panels are currently being set up. An initial core of staff, mainly scientists, is also in place.

The Commission has also seen the newspaper reports regarding a possible agreement between the Italian and Finnish Governments concerning the Authority's headquarters.

However, according to current institutional practice, the decision on agencies' headquarters is taken jointly by the Heads of Government of the Member States. An agreement between two governments does not therefore carry enough weight to determine an agency's headquarters.

The Commission has on several occasions stated its views in this debate, pointing out the importance of operational requirements for the efficient running of the Authority: the need for a central location and easy access which is compatible with the need to be able to work in close contact with the Community officials responsible for risk management, particularly crisis management. However, it has not backed any particular candidate.

The Commission is trying to minimise any negative effects of provisionally siting the Authority in Brussels. It has introduced specific provisions to ensure that the Authority, like other agencies with provisional headquarters (maritime and aviation), has suitable premises. Recruitment procedures already completed or ongoing have resulted in the recruitment of high-level, highly-qualified staff, and the process of setting up the Authority and its various bodies is moving forward at a satisfactory pace.

All the cities applying to host the Authority's headquarters (Barcelona, Helsinki, Lille and Parma) have sent the Commission detailed information on the conditions which they are offering for setting up and running the Authority. It is not up to the Commission to comment on the applications, as current institutional practice dictates that it is the Heads of Government of the Member States who assess the applications and come to a decision.