June 13, 2001 — STRASBOURG — The European Parliament this month gave its approval to the creation of a European Food Authority.

In a plenary session Tuesday, June 12, the parliament adopted a report on a proposal that not only calls for the creation of the authority but also regulates the general principals and requirements of food law.

Despite the Parliament’s approval, it is unlikely that the European Commission will accept all of the more than 200 amendments attached to the proposal, particularly those that address the future functioning of the group, those restricting the mandate of the proposed group and those dealing with World Trade Organization agreements.

The goal of the organization is to ensure food safety in Europe but would not have any rule-making powers. The goal of the organization is to streamline the existing rules applied by EU nations to ensure safe foods and to regain public confidence in the European food industry. Under the commission’s proposal, the authority would consist of nearly 350 members, have access to high-level scientific information and be able to reach agreements on any safety issues that may arise.

An EU spokesperson recently told CleanRooms that the proposed organization should get its final approval by this fall.