2010 discharge: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2010, as part of the 2010 discharge procedure.

Analysis of the accounts of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

CONTENT: this Commission document sets out the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2010 as prepared on the basis of the information presented by the institutions, organisations and bodies of the EU, in accordance with Article 129 (2) of the Financial Regulation applicable to the EU's General Budget, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

In 2010, the tasks and budget of this agency were as follows:

• description of EFSA's tasks: EFSA, which is located in Parma, was established by Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002. Its main tasks are to supply the scientific information needed for Union legislation to be drawn up, to collect and analyse data that allow risks to be identified and monitored and to provide independent information on these risks.
• EFSA's budget for the 2010 financial year: the Authority's 2010 budget amounted to EUR 74.7 million compared with EUR 71.4 million the previous year. The number of staff employed by the Authority at the end of the year was 433 as compared with 407 the previous year.

The complete version of EFSA's final accounts may be found at the following address: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsahow/funding.htm