2004 discharge: European Food Safety Authority
PURPOSE : presentation of the final accounts of the European Food Safety Authority for the financial year 2004.
CONTENT : this document published in the Official Journal of the EU sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the 2004 budget, including the revenue and expenditure and the balance sheet for the year concerned.
According to this document, the final budget amounted to EUR 29,1 million (against EUR 12,6 million in 2003) including a 100% Community contribution.
As regards the staffing policy, the Authority, whose headquarters are now based in Parma (Italy), officially set out 138 posts in its establishment plan. 102 are currently occupied with + 37 other staff (auxiliary contracts, seconded national experts, local staff, and employment agency staff) totalling 139 posts assigned to administrative and operational duties.
Staff expenditure amounted to EUR 8,2 million.
The Authority’s main tasks are to supply the scientific information needed for Community 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. The Authority’s competences and activities are summarised below:
- 158 opinions were adopted and published in 2004. They covered many areas including aromatic plants, genetically modified organisms (with the WHO), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE);
- 2 scientific symposia on specific topics, the development of scientific expertise within the Authority, the identification of emerging risks and the placing on the network and gathering of scientific data were organised;
- the Advisory Forum met 4 times with a view to working as a network with the national authorities on specific topics such as coordination in the event of a crisis scenario;
Operational expenditure represented roughly EUR 7,5 million in commitment appropriations. A positive economic result of EUR 775 000 was shown.
The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/about_efsa/efsa_funding/accounts/catindex_en.html