During the hearing experts said the difference in approach between the EU and the US was not as big as people thought. However, MEPs spoke out against an approach based purely on scientific studies. Françoise Castex, a French member of the S&D who is responsible for following the negotiations on behalf of the Parliament, pointed out that scientific tests are not always able to identify all the possible risks, as was the case with asbestos. "We have to remember that we shouldn't go more quickly than citizens can accept."
Joseph Burke, regulatory, trade and consumer affairs officers at the US mission to the EU in Brussels, commented: "Regulatory decisions should be based on the best available science and if the science isn't understood, it's the obligation of those who are making decisions to explain the science to the citizens they are representing."
REF. : 20140212STO35703
