Call for applications for a position on the EFSA management board.

Applications are invited for a position on the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The call for expressions of interest is published in the Official Journal of the European Union: OJ n° C210 of 1 September 2006. The application form can be downloaded from the following European Commission website at:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/efsa/efsa_board_en.htm. The final deadline for submission of applications is 15.10.2006. The Authority is located in Parma (Italy).

The Commission is organising this selection procedure to replace a member who has resigned and whose mandate was to expire on 30 June 2008. The call encourages applications from candidates from the new Member States and candidates with strong backgrounds in consumer affairs.

The Management Board meets four to six times per year. Members of the Board are not remunerated but are reimbursed for their normal travel and subsistence costs. They also receive indemnities for each day spent at meetings in accordance with Art. 15 of the Rules of Procedure of the Management Board of EFSA.

The Management Board is responsible for the 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 Management Board also appoints the Executive Director and members of the Scientific Committee and the nine Scientific Panels.

According to the Regulation establishing EFSA, the members of the Board are 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 organizations representing consumers and other interests in the food chain”.

Once all applications have been submitted, the Commission will draw up a list of candidates to send to the Council, which will then appoint the new member to the Board in consultation with the European Parliament.

For more information on EFSA and the role of the Management Board, see: