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The European Food Safety Authority is the reference body for risk assessment of food and feed in the European Union.

EFSA was established under EU law in 2002 following a series of food crises. EFSA provides the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork.

In other words, EFSA is an agency of the European Union set up to serve as an impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on risks associated with the food chain. EFSA cooperates with interested parties to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice. We provide the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork.

The core of EFSA's activities is to collect, appraise and integrate scientific evidence to answer questions about risks. The outcome of work is scientific advice to risk managers, jointly produced by independent experts and EFSA staff. Everything EFSA does is guided by EFSA's values of Excellence, Independence, Openness, Accountability and Cooperation. The transparency of processes, together with engagement activities, allows for interested parties to scrutinise EFSA's work and interact with EFSA in an open dialogue on equal terms. EFSA communicate about risks in the food chain independently and in a way that meets the needs of EFSA's audiences. Together with Member States partners, EFSA build the European food safety knowledge ecosystem, ensuring safe food as the basis for healthy diets and sustainable food systems.

Individual experts and competent organisations are EFSA's main knowledge partners. To nurture these relations, EFSA cooperates intensively with Member States risk assessment organisations via the Advisory Forum, the National Focal Points and our Scientific Networks. Likewise, EFSA work with other EU agencies, international organisations and risk assessors in third countries to increase outreach and joint food safety impact.

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA Programme) came into force on 1 January 2007 bringing all Pre-Accession support into a single, focused instrument. Under the IPA, EFSA is implementing the Programme entitled: “Preparatory Measures for the Participation of the Candidate countries and the Potential Candidate countries in EFSA", financed by the European Commission . In the scope of the Programme, EFSA is working with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in Turkey and with the food safety authorities in the other countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) on food and feed safety issues within the EFSA's remit.

The objectives of this programme are to:​

• Prepare the competent bodies in beneficiary countries active in the fields relevant to the work of EFSA, the European Commission and the Member States for their future participation in EFSA networks and fora,

• Contribute to the creation of communication and information exchange systems enabling future participation of the beneficiary countries in the EFSA networks and fora,

• Transfer knowledge on methodologies used in the fields within the remit of EFSA, in particular on risk assessment and data collection,

• Support the beneficiary countries in their communication activities linked to risk assessment.

• Transfer information on EFSA experiences and experiences from MSs on co-operation with the stakeholders.

​The target groups are the competent authorities for food and feed safety in the Pre-Accession countries, in particular those with a similar remit as EFSA`s. Therefore, coordination institution of the Programme in Turkey is the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

The Programme activities are focused on the organisation of series of seminars / workshops / trainings and study tours, and involvement of the Pre-Accession institutions and their experts.

The target audiences are the experts from the Competent Authorities for food and feed safety in the Pre-Accession countries, in particular those with a similar remit as EFSA's. Representatives of senior management, decision makers, service managers, scientific networks leaders, communication officers, and scientists take part in a range of activities within the Programme.

Participation in the Programme activities provided the experts of our country with an overall knowledge on EFSA and the EU food safety system, primarily within the area of risk assessment and risk communication. It is expected that the Programme would enable our Ministry's experts to be involved in all mechanisms for information sharing established between EFSA and MSs. Furthermore, participation of the experts in scientific and technical events organised by EFSA improved their knowledge on risk assessment and risk communication works.

Click to open EFSA Focal Point Network Infographic