September 17, 2001 — While the creation of the European Food Authority is only months away, officials have yet to determine where the organization will be based.

Top contenders for the group’s home base are said to be Helsinki, Barcelona, Lille in France and Parma in Italy.

The European Union was expected to vote on the issue in June, but failed to come up with a location. Now it appears EU members could vote on the issue next month in Ghent. However it is more likely that the vote will be taken at the EU’s Decemeber summit near Brussels, according to published reports.

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 be fully operational by early 2002.