European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety


The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety is a committee of the European Parliament. It has 81 full members and is currently chaired by Pascal Canfin.

Evolution

During the 1990s its relatively low importance led to its being referred to unfavourably by MEPs as the "Cinderella committee". However, since then the committee's powers have increased. The co-decision procedure for legislation, which grants greater powers to the Parliament, has been extended to more policy areas. Notably, the areas covered by this committee were the main recipients of these new powers. The rising importance of the issues it deals with has also meant that it has become one of the most important committees in Parliament. The committee's open sessions, as well as constituting a major forum within the Parliament, are usually well attended by both business lobbyists and representatives from environmental NGOs.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for:
1. environmental policy and environmental protection measures, in particular concerning:
2. public health, in particular:
3. food safety issues, in particular: