EFSA is an organization committed to openness, transparency and dialogue. One of the ways it demonstrates this commitment is through its activities with stakeholders.

Who are EFSA’s stakeholders?
For EFSA, the term ‘stakeholder’ describes an individual or group that is concerned or stands to be affected – directly or indirectly - by EFSA’s work in scientific risk assessment. In EFSA's work with stakeholders, a distinction is made between ‘Civil Society Stakeholders’ and ‘Institutional Stakeholders’.

Civil Society Stakeholders

The term 'Civil Society Stakeholders' refers to consumer groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and market operators such as farmers, food manufacturers, distributors or processors and science professionals. Forging a relationship with Civil Society Stakeholders is described in EFSA’s founding regulation, (Article 42, Recitals 56). Here it states that EFSA must have, “effective contacts with consumer representatives, producer representatives, processors and any other interested parties”. In addition to this, EFSA also works with environmental and animal welfare NGOs. Its formal activities with ‘Civil Society Stakeholders’ include the twice-yearly stakeholder consultative platform and the EFSA Annual Colloque.

In addition to formalized activities that require membership, EFSA also promotes relations with the general public and those who feel they can contribute to the Authority’s work. This can be through public consultations on specific scientific subjects and data collection activities where any interested member of the public can submit relevant data and information, and through public events such as Open Days.

Institutional Stakeholders

For EFSA, ‘Institutional Stakeholders’ refers to those to whom the Authority has a legal obligation to work with under Community rules, e.g. the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States. This relationship is demonstrated by the EFSA Advisory Forum and Management Board, through formalized collaboration such as Article 36, and through regular relations with lawmakers and Commission officials.