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The leaders of the centre-right, socialist and liberal groups have clarified the powers of a new European Parliament committee on Public Health (SANT), currently a subcommittee of the Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI), following on-and-off negotiations in recent months.
“The creation of the SANT committee was de facto agreed with the S&D in July,” Renew’s Pascal Canfin told reporters this afternoon, noting that an agreement has now been reached on the details of the split, including which committee will get food safety and pesticides legislation.
“It was discussed and agreed this afternoon by Weber, Iratxe [Garcia] and Valerie [Hayer],” Canfin added.
Euractiv understands that the agreement on ENVI and SANT is part of a wider package deal negotiated today by the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew. The green light for Commissioners Hadja Lahbib (Renew) and Jessika Roswall (EPP) – who failed to impress MEPs during their hearings – was also part of the deal.
ENVI would maintain food safety legislation, in particular labelling, veterinary legislation, checks on food, production systems, the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), according to a draft document on the agreement seen by Euractiv.
The EPP had pushed for pesticide rules and maximum residue levels (MRLs) – the highest level of pesticide residue legally allowed in food and feed – to be transferred to SANT.
The draft, however, indicates that ENVI would also retain competence in these areas, as well as chemicals, dangerous substances and cosmetics – a position defended by the S&D.
Meanwhile, the socialists have failed to strip the SANT committee of all legislative powers – as they had initially sought.
The public health committee will be responsible for issues relating to pharmaceuticals and medical devices, programmes and specific actions in the field of public health preparedness and response to health crises, mental health and patient rights, health aspects of bioterrorism, the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and relations with the WHO on the above issues.
Canfin told reporters that “tobacco” was mentioned as one of the products alongside pharmaceuticals. An EPP source confirmed this.
*Nicoletta Ionta and Maria Simon Arboleas contributed to this article
[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro and Rajnish Singh]
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