The Federation of European Academies of Science (FEAM) has recently released its “International Sharing of Personal Health Data for Research” report.

Part of the statements draw on discussions from the ISC’s GDPR Webinar that was hosted back in 2019 and which second session is to take place in September 2021.

The report outlines various key points as regards to the GDPR in open science and open research such as the crucial need for international collaboration “for example in large-scale epidemiology and registry data [to work] with a high number of variables from different countries” (p. 24 of the “International Sharing of Personal Health Data for Research” report); while learning how to process the wide data diversity. FEAM also underlines the importance of adequate use, appropriate safeguards, explicit consent and above all prioritising social interest.

The report closes with some recommendations for improvement such as closer collaboration with academies and the need to take patients opinions into account.

Read and download the complete FEAM report here.

As of 27 March 2021, the new Transparency Regulation (EU) 2019/1381, passed by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, will be put into application. This regulation will foster the ability of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to carry out its risk assessments while complying with the highest transparency standards. It also aims to increase the independence of studies, to strengthen governance and scientific cooperation and to develop a comprehensive risk communication.

An online celebratory event for the entry into application of the Transparency Regulation took place on 31 March 2021.

“This is a pivotal moment for the assessment of risks in the food chain in the EU. EFSA is grateful to the European Parliament, to the European Commission and to the EU Member States for giving us this opportunity to bring citizens and stakeholders closer to our work and to benefit from greater scrutiny of our working  processes and practices.”

– Bernhard Url, EFSA’s Executive Director
Source: EFSA’s news release

You can read more about it on the European Commission website.

A Q&A document that summarises the new legislation has been made available online by EFSA.

More information about the new Transparency Rules for EFSA’s Risk Assessment is available on the EFSA website.

In March 2021, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI Committee) gathered to discuss several pressing issues, including a ban on pesticides export.

On 23 March 2021, the DG SANTE, discussed during the ENVI committee meeting the regulation on EU pesticides ban export. Currently, pesticides banned in the EU can be found in products that the EU imports from third countries, where pesticides regulation is different. As a result, banned pesticides in the EU circulate within the 27 member states. Although 72 countries signed the Rotterdam’s Convention, which is a global agreement on pesticides and chemicals regulation, the EU law in this regard is more restrictive according to Jürgen Hellbig, senior Expert on Chemicals advising the DG ENV.

MEPs pointed out the “tolerance 0” on pesticides within this regulation: third countries do not insure the same level of food safety as in the EU. In addition, trade agreements, such as the Mercosur, also do not guarantee the same risk assessment level between the EU 27 states and other countries.

Emphasis was also given to banned chemicals produced inside the EU that are being used by third countries. In November 2020, 70 NGOs urged in an Open Letter to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, to prohibit the export of banned pesticides and the import of food with these same banned pesticides.

The recording of the full session is available here.