When preparing its policy and proposals relating to consumer safety, public health and the environment, the Commission relies on independent Scientific Committees to provide it with sound scientific advice and draw its attention to new and emerging problems. The Scientific Committees can call on additional expertise from a pool of scientific advisors and a database of experts.
The following three Scientific Committees started their work in March 2009:
- Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)
- Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER)
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Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)
Coordination
The Inter-Committee Coordination Group, composed of the chairs and vice-chairs of the three Committees, helps coordinate the Committees and deals with:
- matters relating to harmonisation of risk assessment
- questions common to more than one Committee
- diverging scientific opinions
- exchange of information on the activities of the Committees.
The work of the Scientific Committees also feeds into the Dialogue and Collaboration on risk assessment and into the work of the European Commission on Nanotechnologies and EMF. the Scientific Committees are supported by a Secretariat which is located in DG Health and Consumers.