Engagement platforms

Stakeholders can engage with EFSA in many ways according to their interests and expertise. These interaction mechanisms are complemented by services and tools that ensure a timely access to information and an effective exchange with EFSA.

This catalogue provides an overview of EFSA’s engagement mechanisms, tools, resources and services, and of the context in which they are activated.

Engagement mechanisms open to all stakeholders

Public consultations and calls for data

During the lifecycle of scientific mandates and applications on regulated products, EFSA regularly consults stakeholders to incorporate their input into its risks assessments. EFSA may also collect data from third parties to inform its scientific advice.

Public events

Public events such as colloquia and workshops ensure that EFSA taps into the expertise of the wider scientific community to jointly prepare for future risk assessment challenges. Public events are also organised to promote the understanding of EFSA’s work (information sessions and webinars) and encourage dialogue on specific issues related to EFSA’s scientific mandates (technical meetings, e.g. during/after a public consultation).

Open plenary meetings of EFSA’s Scientific Panels and Scientific Committee

Every year, EFSA holds one public session of each of its Scientific Panels and Scientific Committee. Stakeholders may attend these meetings as observers.

Engagement mechanisms dedicated to registered stakeholders

In addition to the above, registered stakeholders may also engage with EFSA through the following mechanisms. Two of these are standing bodies established by EFSA’s Management Board.

Stakeholder Forum

The Stakeholder Forum brings together the community of EFSA’s registered stakeholders once a year to discuss EFSA’s work plans and priorities. The themes and topics of each annual forum are suggested by registered stakeholders and by the priority areas identified by EFSA.

List of registered stakeholders | Meetings

Stakeholder Bureau

The Stakeholder Bureau’s role is to advise EFSA on stakeholder engagement and dialogue on issues in the Authority’s remit. It also helps to shape the agenda of the Stakeholder Forum. It is made up of seven representatives of EFSA’s stakeholder groups proposed by the stakeholders themselves to act in the interests of the category they represent.

Members | Meetings | Call for renewal of the Stakeholder Bureau Members 2023

Thematic discussion groups

Thematic discussion groups act as “learning systems” to discuss and exchange information in specific areas, leveraging stakeholders’ knowledge in those domains. Discussion groups are primarily open to registered stakeholders, although EFSA may also invite non-registered organisations or individuals to participate, based on their competences, expertise, and experience, as appropriate. Such participation is in line with EFSA’s core values of openness and transparency.

The following groups are currently active:

Discussion group on Environmental risk assessment: The Stakeholder DG on ERA is a dynamic platform for engagement and collaboration between EFSA and experts in the field contributing to shaping the future of plant protection products (PPPs) in the European Union.

Please find all details about the scope, composition, roles and more in the Framework for Interaction document.

Related topic: Environmental risk assessment

Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StaDG-ER): EFSA defines an emerging risk as: “A risk resulting from a newly identified hazard to which a significant exposure may occur, or from an unexpected new or increased significant exposure and/or susceptibility to a known hazard”. Set up in 2010, the StaDG-ER enables EFSA to capitalise on stakeholders’ specialist knowledge in this area, and to improve the exchange of information and dialogue on emerging risks.

Framework for interaction | Members | Call for renewal of membership 2023 and Evaluation Committee Report | Annual reports (2011, 2012&2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Meetings

Related topic: Emerging Risks

Stakeholder Discussion Group on Food Chemical Occurrence Data: EFSA is required to work in close cooperation with all organisations operating in the field of data collection. The Stakeholder Discussion Group on Food Chemical Occurrence Data discusses and exchanges information on the practical aspects and challenges regarding provision of occurrence data and usage data from stakeholders. The group’s focus is mainly on food additives and chemical contaminants in food.

Framework for interaction | Call for renewal of membership 2023 | Meetings | Evaluation Committee Report

Consultation Group on Bee Guidance Revision: This group is supporting EFSA’s ongoing review of the guidance on risk assessment of pesticides and bees, which was requested by the European Commission. The group is being consulted at various stages of the review and providing input to the EFSA scientific working group charged with revising the document.

Call for members | Minutes of the selection meeting | News

Related topic: Pesticides and bees: guidance review

Technical group on the Tools related to the application of the Transparency Regulation (TG TOOLS): EFSA has established the Technical Group on the Tools related to the application of the Transparency Regulation (TG TOOLS) as a forum for technical exchanges on the use of the tools with the purpose of enhancing the dialogue with the users and gathering feedback from users on suggestions for adjustments or simplification of the tools referenced in the Terms of Reference (ToR).

Members | Terms of Reference (ToR) | Meetings

Closed or inactive groups:

• Pilot focus group on a Guidance Document on Allergenicity in the area of regulated products (Framework of interaction | Members).
• Group on E-Submission (Framework of interaction | Members).
• Consultation group on Endocrine Disruptors (Members | Minutes of the selection meeting).
• Group on EU Bee Partnership for Data Sharing: This discussion group was set up in 2018 to establish the terms of reference for the EU Bee Partnership as an outcome of the scientific symposium “Collecting and sharing data on bee health: towards a European Bee Partnership” organised by EFSA as part of European Bee and Pollination Week 2017. Participants agreed to work towards setting up the European Bee Partnership, a platform run by stakeholders for the benefit of stakeholders to ensure that honeybees, and eventually all pollinators, can thrive in Europe. Minutes of the selection meeting and list of Members | Meetings and news