Partnerships with Member States: enhancing cooperation for EU food safety risk assessment

This editorial summarises a longer note (95th Meeting of the EFSA Management Board, item 7. Available online: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/event/mb95/item-07-doc1-partnership-with-mss-230622-d2.pdf) submitted to Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for consideration prior to a discussion held in its 95th meeting, in June 2023. It presents the context and the framework of EFSA's current scientific cooperation activities and the vision of transitioning towards long-term partnerships as the necessary evolution for the sustainability of food safety risk assessment in the EU. This new approach needs strategic alignment and political will to ensure the involvement of risk assessment organisations in the Member States. For that purpose, Management Board members can act as key advocates towards national risk managers and policy makers.