European Commission: Proceedings & Follow-Up on the ‘2nd Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue’

Released on Sunday 28th December 2008

The European Commission took the first steps to a formal follow-up on its 2nd Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue, held in Brussels on the 2nd and 3rd October 2008: Robert Madeline, Director General of DG SANCO (Health and Consumer Protection), circulated a letter to all participants of the ‘2nd Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue’, announcing ‘Top Ten Actions to take by Easter 2009’:

ACTION 1: Preparation of Future Nano Safety for Success Dialogues
ACTION 2: Exchanges of views with the EU Member States
ACTION 3: Sector-by-sector stakeholder dialogues
ACTION 4: Information exchange on dialogues and governance
ACTION 5: EU Inventory
ACTION 6: Nano preparedness
ACTION 7: Scientific knowledge gap-filling
ACTION 8: Guidance
ACTION 9: Risk assessment
ACTION 10: European Nanomaterials Risk Assessors’ Forum
 
It was furthermore announced that the complete Workshop Report of the 2nd Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue has been published on the DG SANCO website; the report highlights that three areas that require coordinated effort from all parties:
  1. Developing trustworthy information on products containing nanomaterials that are on or near the market, and on how they are tested.
  2. Meaningful public engagement on the basis of shared definitions of nanotechnologies.
  3. Ongoing regulatory reviews to provide clear guidance to industry on how to interpret regulatory frameworks, and clear indications to the public about action being taken in cases where relevant risk data is limited or uncertain.

Many participants agreed that positive steps had been taken during the past year. However, the overarching question remained how to ensure public confidence in efforts by all stakeholders to provide relevant information, develop appropriate testing methods, deal with remaining questions of uncertainty over risks, and appropriately implement regulatory frameworks.

 
 
Registered NIA Members can download the Follow-Up letter from Robert Madelin, as well as the NIA Meeting Notes of the 2nd Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue from the ‘Members only’-area of the NIA website (by following the link to ‘Meeting Reports (from the NIA Delegate)’).
 
 
 
Related Links:
Under the auspices of the French EU Presidency, the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) of the European Commission is organizing the2nd Annual Nanotechnology "Safety for Success" Dialogue Workshop ; the workshop will be held on Thursday, 2nd and Friday, 3rd October 2008. At the Hotel Sofitel Brussels Europe, Place Jourdan 1, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. (1st July 2008)

Registered NIA Members can download the detailed Meeting Notes of last year’s 1st Annual Nanotechnology "Safety for Success" Dialogue Workshop from the ‘Members Only’-area on the NIA website (go to ‘Meeting Reports (from the NIA delegate)’.)

 

← Return to the news summary page