In December 2003, the European Council decided that Parma would be the seat of the European Food Safety Authority. In June 2004, EFSA began renting provisional premises in Viale Mentana in Parma in order to get operational as soon as possible until a definitive operational seat could be decided upon. After investigation of the market and presentations of possible alternatives, EFSA’s Management Board evaluated various options and ranked the four most appropriate projects according to EFSA’s needs. The Management Board has now concluded that the project located in Viale Piacenza in Parma best meets EFSA’s requirements out of the four alternatives and recommends proceeding with the project.

Following the EU financial rules, Geoffrey Podger, EFSA’s Executive Director has now written to the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Josep Borrell and the President of the Council of the European Union, the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, informing them about the Board’s decision. In their role as the EU Budgetary Authority, the European Parliament and Council of the EU will be involved in making the final decision on the permanent seat.