Call for expressions of interest for the position of member of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority
Date: 2019-05-24
Institutions: European Food Safety Authority
Subjects: European Food Safety Authority, board of directors, recruitment








C_2019179EN.01001301.xml










24.5.2019   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 179/13






Call for expressions of interest for the position of member of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority
(2019/C 179/08)
Applications are invited for the positions of 7 out of 14 members of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority established by Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety (1). The Authority is located in Parma, Italy.

The European Food Safety Authority

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of the European Union system of risk assessment for food and feed safety. The Authority was established to provide scientific advice and support for Union legislation and policies in all fields that may have a direct or indirect impact on food and feed safety, as well as closely associated questions in the field of animal health and welfare and plant health. It provides independent information on these matters and communicates on risks. Its mission also includes provision of scientific advice in many areas of food and feed law and whenever Union legislation so requires, including new food technologies such as GMOs. The Authority is widely recognised as the point of reference by virtue of its independence, the scientific quality of its opinions and public information, the transparency of its procedures and its diligence in performing its tasks. In addition to having its own specialist personnel, the Authority is supported by networks of competent organisations in the EU.

Legal background

In accordance with Article 25 of the abovementioned Regulation, ‘the members of the Board shall be appointed in such a way as to secure the highest standards of competence, a broad range of relevant expertise and, consistent with these, the broadest possible geographic distribution within the Union’. In addition, four of the members of the Management Board ‘shall have their background in organisations representing consumers and other interests in the food chain’.
Furthermore, Recital 40 of the aforementioned Regulation stipulates that ‘Cooperation with Member States is also indispensable’ and Recital 41 states that ‘the Management Board should be appointed in such a way as to secure the highest standard of competence, a broad range of relevant expertise, for instance in management and in public administration, and the broadest possible geographic distribution within the Union. This should be facilitated by a rotation of the different countries of origin of the members of the Management Board without any post being reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.’

Role and operation of the Management Board

The responsibilities of the Management Board include, in particular:






—


general monitoring of the work of the Authority to ensure that it carries out its mission and performs the tasks assigned to it in accordance with its mandate and within a culture of independence and transparency,










—


the appointment of the Executive Director on the basis of a list of candidates drawn up by the Commission, and, if necessary, his or her dismissal,










—


the appointment of the members of the Scientific Committee and Panels, which are responsible for providing the scientific opinions of the Authority,










—


the adoption of annual and multiannual programmes of work of the Authority and the general report of annual activities,










—


the adoption of the budget of the Authority for the coming year and of the annual accounts for the previous year,










—


the adoption of the Authority’s internal rules and financial regulation.




The Board operates by public meetings, private sessions, and correspondence. EFSA papers, Board correspondence and private sessions are in English. The Board meets four to six times per year, mainly in Parma.

Composition of the Management Board

The Management Board is composed of 14 members, plus a representative of the Commission, as stated in Article 25(1) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. Four of the members shall have their background in organisations representing consumers and other interests in the food chain. The term of office of 7 members of the current Management Board expires on 30 June 2020, in accordance with Council Decision 2016/C 223/08 (2). The term of office of the other 7 members will end on 30 June 2022, in accordance with Council Decision 2018/C 230/02 (3).
Current membership of the Board can be viewed on EFSA’s website https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/people/mbmembers
This publication concerns applications for the positions of those 7 members of the Management Board whose term of office expires on 30 June 2020. Among the 7 members to be appointed, at least one shall have a background in organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain.

Qualifications for the position and selection criteria

The members of the Management Board shall meet the highest standards of competence, encompassing a broad range of relevant expertise and a commitment to act independently.
To qualify for the position, the candidates shall be nationals of an EU Member State and shall demonstrate:






1.


that they have at least 15 years of experience in one or more of the 5 areas of competence listed below, including at least 5 years at a senior level:






—


provision of independent scientific advice and scientific and technical support for the preparation of European Union legislation and policies in all fields which have a direct or indirect impact on food and feed safety,










—


management and public administration (including human resources, legal and financial aspects),










—


development of policies ensuring integrity, independence, transparency, ethical practices and high scientific quality advice while maintaining reliability with stakeholders,










—


effective communication and information to the public on scientific work,










—


ensuring necessary coherence between: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication functions;














2.


that they have at least 5 years of experience gained from work in connection with food and feed safety, or other areas related to the Authority’s mission, notably in the field of animal health and welfare, protection of the environment, plant health and nutrition;










3.


their ability to operate in a multilingual, multicultural and multidisciplinary environment;










4.


their commitment to act independently:
they are expected to observe the highest standard of ethical conduct, act honestly, independently, impartially, with discretion and without regard to self-interest, and avoid any situation liable to give rise to a personal conflict of interests.




The following criteria will apply for the evaluation of candidates, who will be assessed on the basis of comparative merits, and on their commitment to act independently:






—


expertise and ability to contribute effectively to one or more of the areas of competence mentioned above,










—


expertise in the field of food and feed safety, or other areas related to the Authority’s mission,










—


ability to operate in a multilingual, multicultural and multidisciplinary environment.




The shortlist of candidates will also be analysed in view of the following requirements for the Board composition:






—


well-balanced, collective expertise of the Management Board members,










—


broadest possible geographical distribution based on the rotation of the different nationalities of the Management Board members.




Applicants are required to complete an online application form and a declaration of interest form that include specific commitments and declarations made on their honour. Once appointed by the Council, they will have to make an annual written declaration of interests and to declare at each meeting of the Management Board any interest which might be considered as prejudicial to their independence in relation to the items on the agenda.
The purpose of the declaration of interest form is to demonstrate the candidate’s ability to exercise the function of member of EFSA’s Management Board in line with EFSA’s internal rules on independence (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/values/independence.htm) and the Code of Conduct of EFSA’s Management Board (Code of Conduct of the EFSA Management Board). These rules stipulate that Board members shall refrain from involvement in any activity that could result in a conflict of interest or is likely to provoke the perception of a conflict of interest in the general public.
In addition to the requirements indicated above, the particular situation of a candidate applying as a member having a background in organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain will be taken into account. See section below entitled: ‘Members of the Management Board having a background in organisations representing consumers or other interest in the food chain’. Candidates can only submit one application.

Participation in the Board meetings/Reimbursement and indemnities

Members will need to make a high level of commitment to participate in the meetings of the Management Board. They are asked to confirm in the application form their availability to actively participate in the Management Board. It is estimated that the Management Board will meet four to six times per year. Members of the Board are not remunerated, and they will be reimbursed for their normal travel costs and be entitled to a daily allowance in accordance with implementing rules adopted by EFSA. Without prejudice to the possibility that the applicable rules may be amended during the mandate, accommodation costs are paid by EFSA directly. Management Board Members are also entitled to an indemnity of EUR 385 for each full day of meeting attendance to cover other costs derived from their contribution to and participation in the work of the Board. A half-day meeting or half-day attendance results in half of the indemnity being paid.

Members of the Management Board having a background in organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain

Candidates are asked to indicate and justify in their application if they wish to be considered as one of the 4 Board Members having a background in organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain. The justification should include details of their background in organisations representing consumers or other interests in the food chain.

Appointment and term of office

With the exception of the Commission representative, who is appointed by the Commission, members of the Management Board are appointed by the Council, in consultation with the European Parliament, from the list drawn up by the Commission on the basis of this call for expressions of interest.
The duration of the term of office might be subject to amendments when the Commission proposal for a Regulation on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and eight other Union acts (4) is formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council and enters into application after the appointment by the Council of the 7 members selected on the basis of this call for expressions of interest (5).
This new Regulation, amongst others, will be introducing a number of amendments relating to the Management Board, including the composition and the term of office.
More specifically, according to the provisional agreement reached on 11 February 2019 by the European Parliament and the Council, as of 1 July 2022, the composition of the Management Board will be changed. It will be consisting of representatives of all Member States and the Commission, members appointed by the European Parliament and members representing civil society and food chain interests. The provisional agreement also foresees certain transitional measures. Accordingly, the term of office of the members of the Management Board who are in office on 30 June 2022, shall expire on that date. Under the existing legal framework, the term of office of the 7 members selected on the basis of this call for expressions of interest and appointed by the Council shall be four years, renewable once, as provided under Article 25 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. However, should the new provisions be applicable after the appointment by the Council of the 7 members selected on the basis of this call for expressions of interest and before 30 June 2022, the term of office shall end on 30 June 2022.
Applicants should note that the Commission’s list will be made public and that they have the right to object to publication of their names by contacting the Commission at the address indicated in the specific privacy statement for this Call (see also the section below entitled ‘Protection of personal data’). The exercise of this right will not prejudice the candidate’s application. Individuals on the Commission’s list who are not appointed may be invited to constitute a reserve list to be used in the event of the need to replace members who are unable to complete their mandate.

Equal opportunities

Great care will be taken to avoid any form of discrimination and applications from women are encouraged.

Application procedure and closing date

Applications shall comply with the requirements set out below; otherwise they will not be taken into consideration:






(1)


Interested persons are encouraged to apply via an online system by going to the website: http://ec.europa.eu/food/efsa/management-board_en.htm
The online application must include two attachments:






(a)


the declaration of interest form with a handwritten signature, the form may be found at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/food/efsa/management-board_en.htm










(b)


a CV of minimum 1,5 pages and maximum 3 pages.














(2)


Upon successful submission of the online application, the online system will generate a registration number. If, however, no registration number is generated, the application has not been registered.
In the event of any technical problems, please send an email to SANTE-CALL-AGENCIES@ec.europa.eu. It is not possible to monitor the progress of the application online.










(3)


The application form, the declaration of interest form, the CV, and any supporting documents have to be written in an official language of the European Union. It would, however, be appreciated, without it being a requirement, if a summary of experience and other pertinent information could be provided in English in order to facilitate the selection procedure. Supporting documents must be submitted at a later stage, if requested.










(4)


If you wish to submit your application in an official language of the European Union other than English, you may fill in the application in that language or contact the call secretariat by email to SANTE-CALL-AGENCIES@ec.europa.eu and request an application form in given language. You will receive a word application form.










(5)


All expressions of interest will be treated confidentially.










(6)


The final deadline for submission of applications is 12.00 noon, Brussels time, 19 July 2019.










(7)


The application has to be completed and the deadline must be respected. We strongly advise applicants not to wait until the last few days before applying, since any fault of internet connection could result in a missed opportunity to submit the application before the deadline. Once the deadline for submission of application has passed, applications will not be accepted.










(8)


Applications sent by email to SANTE-CALL-AGENCIES@ec.europa.eu and respecting the requirements set under point (3) will be accepted. Applications sent by post, fax or hand-delivered will not be accepted as a general rule, neither applications sent directly to the European Food Safety Authority.










(9)


In submitting an application, applicants accept the procedures and conditions as described in this Call and in the documents to which it refers. In compiling their application, applicants may under no circumstances refer to any documents submitted in prior applications (example: photocopies of previous applications will not be accepted). Any misrepresentation in supplying the required information may lead to exclusion from the present Call.










(10)


All candidates applying to this call for expressions of interest will be informed about the outcome of the selection process.





Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (6). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data. For more detailed information on the scope, purposes and means of the processing of their personal data in the context of this Call, candidates are invited to consult the specific privacy statement published on the Call webpage at the following address http://ec.europa.eu/food/efsa/management-board_en.htm


(1)  OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1.

(2)  OJ C 223, 21.6.2016, p. 7.

(3)  OJ C 230, 2.7.2018, p 2.

(4)  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain amending Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 [on general food law], Directive 2001/18/EC [on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs], Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 [on GM food and feed], Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 [on feed additives], Regulation (EC) No 2065/2003 [on smoke flavourings], Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 [on food contact materials], Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 [on the common authorisation procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings], Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 [on plant protection products] and Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 [on novel foods], COM(2018) 179 final of 11.4.2018.

(5)  The new Regulation is expected to be formally adopted and published in the Official Journal in the course of the summer 2019 and enter into force the first trimester of 2021.

(6)  OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39.