Foreign Trade Minister Kimmo Sasi at the Internal Market Council: The European Food Authority to be established as scheduled

The foundation of the European Food Authority (EFA) is high on the EU agenda this autumn. It is to be hoped that all the parties involved assume full responsibility for the treatment of the issue, and that the project goes ahead as scheduled for the agency to be able to start operations in 2002. The consumers’ demands for improved food safety are justifiable and must be reacted to.

I expect that the European Commission will give its proposal on the issue at the earliest opportunity. According to the Commission White Paper on Food Safety, the proposal will be presented this September. The European Parliament will submit a report on the issue in October, and the Internal Market Council is to deal with the issue in November.

Finland proposes that the new food authority be located in the Viikki Science Park in Helsinki. We consider that Helsinki would provide good operating conditions for the agency. Finland possesses excellent technical resources enabling support to an agency charged with urgent assignments. The high standard of Finnish research in the field of food sciences further supports the choice of Helsinki as the home of the EFA. The agency is set up to guarantee consumer safety, not to protect the interests of the food industries.

I regard both Barcelona and Parma as worthy candidates, but also consider that now is the right time for Finland to get an EU agency on her territory. Equality among the Member States has been a central aspect when decisions have been made on the location of institutes and agencies. This principle must not be abandoned now that only Finland and Sweden are Member States without an EU agency of their own. Finland would offer excellent facilities for the EFA to discharge its demanding functions.

The location of the agency will be agreed upon by a decision of the Member States’ governments. For the present, it remains uncertain whether the decision will be made during the French Presidency in Nizza in December or whether it will be postponed to be made during the Swedish Presidency. Finland considers it appropriate that the decision be made in Nizza. The location of the EFA should be made in good time for the agency to be able to launch operations effectively in 2002