Major boost for DG XXIV

The Commission has announced a major reorganisation of food safety services In order to protect consumer health, with DG XXIV being expanded to take In control of seven scientific veterinary and food committees advising on public health, and a special unit to evaluate public health ricks DG XXIV formerly the Consumer Policy Service and converted Into a DG on 19 April 1996 by the present Commission will see It's current staff of 140 considerably expanded, even doubled, under the supervision of Emma Bonino. In addition, President Santer announced that "In order to provide the necessary political impulse and to coordinate its actions, a group of Commissioners has been created, under my Chairmanship, to supervise food health".

The reorganisation of food safety services, formerly part of DG VI, comes about as a result of pressure from the European Parliament and the much publicised Temporary Committee of Inquiry into the BSE crisis (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), which has seen major falls in beef consumption in the member states, because of its links with CJD. The inquiry had called for the Commission "to establish an overall coordination unit for public health matters and to propose as a matter of urgency a harmonised system for the certification of meat in order to restore consumer confidence in the industry". It was also felt that there was a conflictof interest having agriculture policy and consumer health policy in the same department.

The special group of Commissioners will include those responsible for consumer affairs, agriculture, industry, public health and possibly research. Emma Bonino, who will play a key role in the group, will also have the seven scientific, veterinary and food committees advising on BSE measures reporting directly to her.

In a further move, the Commission has given control of a new veterinary inspection office, which will be based in Ireland, to Emma Bonino. It is expected that the office will eventually develop into an independent food safety agency. The Commission has promised to present within two months proposals to improve its public and animal health services within two months.

Horst Reichenbach, formerly chef de cabinet to Monika Wulf-Mathies, has been appointed as new Director-General of DG XXIV, now to be know as "Consumer policy and health protection". He replaces Spyros Pappas, who is moving to DG X.