The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the “EFSA Strategy 2020” that maps out a course for the next five years to make the agency a stronger, more agile organization that is closely connected to its stakeholders and the public and which is equipped to answer the increasingly complex food-related questions of the modern age.
“EFSA’s mission is clear and unchanged: in cooperation with our wide range of stakeholders, we help to keep the European food chain as safe as possible,” said Bernhard Url, executive director, EFSA. “The task for us is to make sure that we work in a way that takes full account of the challenges and full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead. We have thought long and hard about this strategy, and consulted widely among our partners and the public at large. The result is a document that gives us a clear idea of where we want to go and how we are going to get there.”
The Strategy 2020 identifies a number of “drivers” that EFSA expects to significantly influence the direction its takes between now and 2020. These range from high-level issues such as public expectations of greater transparency and the impact of globalization, to closer-to-home concerns such as how EFSA can become even more efficient and continue to attract scientific expertise at a time when resources are increasingly precious.
The document then outlines five strategic objectives that will frame the way EFSA responds to the expected challenges and opportunities. Over the next five years EFSA aims to:
Prioritize public and stakeholder engagement in the process of scientific assessment
Widen its evidence base and optimize access to its data
Bolster the EU’s scientific assessment capacity and knowledge community
Prepare for future risk assessment challenges
Create an environment and culture that reflects EFSA’s values
