Milan Kováč
Milan Kováč is a member of the management board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).[1]
EFSA has been criticised because its scientific assessments of new GM crops and pesticides (via scientific advisory panels) rely almost exclusively on corporate research data.[2]
Kováč has links with the biotech corporations via the industry lobby group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI):
- 2001-2011: Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Global - Washington, USA, non-industry member from Board of directors of the biotech industry lobby group, International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe.[3]
- 2002-2004: ILSI Europe - Member of the Board of Directors, non-industry member[4]
Other positions include:
- 2001-2005: Member of Scientific Board, faculty of biotechnology and food processing of Slovak Agriculture University, Slovak Republic, Nitra[5]
Corporate Europe Observatory criticised Kováč, among other members of the board of EFSA, for having conflicts of interest:
- EFSA’s management board is a decision-making body with very significant powers, both directly and indirectly. This includes setting EFSA’s budget, approving the annual work programme, and appointing the members of the Scientific Committee and Scientific Panels [which give opinions on food safety and on approvals of GMOs and pesticides to the EU Commission]. People employed by food industry lobby groups or with other potential conflicts of interest should not be involved in making such important decisions and should therefore not be on EFSA’s management board.[6]
Notes
- ↑ EFSA, Declarations of Interest Database, acc 16 Mar 2011
- ↑ “EU food safety agency aims for more transparency”, EurActiv.com, 9 June 2008. “EFSA undermines pesticide Regulation 1107/2009 on use of scientific peer-reviewed open literature”, Pesticide Action Network, 6 September 2010 - “So rather than use this new mandate to rely less on industry data, EFSA plans to use the same tool, GLP, to keep on removing independent studies from consideration”, writes Pesticide Action Network in its comment piece.
- ↑ EFSA, Declarations of Interest Database, acc 16 Mar 2011
- ↑ EFSA, Declarations of Interest Database, acc 16 Mar 2011
- ↑ EFSA, Declarations of Interest Database, acc 16 Mar 2011
- ↑ Corporate Europe Observatory, Open letter to European Commissioner John Dalli regarding conflicts of interest EFSA’s management board, March 15th, 2011
