Council appoints Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin to EFSA management board

The Council of the European Union has appointed Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin as the French member of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a mandate running until 30 June 2030. The decision was adopted on 12 October 2026 in Luxembourg and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 15 October 2026 under the reference C/2026/5398.

Legal basis and the four-year appointment cycle

The appointment rests on Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002, which establishes EFSA and lays down the general principles of food law, and specifically on Article 25(1) of that regulation. Under this framework, each Member State nominates one member and one alternate member to represent it on the EFSA Management Board; the Council then appoints them for a renewable term of four years, with voting rights attached to the seat.

The Council had already filled the board for the current cycle through its Decision of 27 April 2026, published in the Official Journal as C/2026/2583 on 30 April 2026, which appointed the Member State representatives for the period from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2030. The new appointment therefore slots into an existing mandate rather than opening a fresh one.

The vacancy left by Gilles Salvat

The seat became vacant after the resignation of the previous French member. By letter dated 22 June 2026, EFSA was informed that Gilles Salvat, the member for France, had stepped down. The Council’s decision states that a new representative should be appointed to serve for the remainder of her predecessor’s term of office, which is why the mandate ends on 30 June 2030 rather than four years from the date of appointment.

The decision records the following sequence:

• 27 April 2026 — Council Decision appointing Member State representatives to the EFSA Management Board for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2030 (C/2026/2583, OJ C, 30.4.2026).
• 22 June 2026 — EFSA notified by letter of the resignation of Gilles Salvat, member for France.
• 12 October 2026 — Council Decision appointing Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin (France) adopted in Luxembourg.
• 15 October 2026 — publication in the Official Journal, C series, reference C/2026/5398.
• 30 June 2030 — end of the mandate.

Profile and stated rationale

The Council’s recitals describe the French nominee as having relevant and extensive experience and expertise in the field of food chain law and policy, including risk assessment, as well as in managerial, administrative, financial and legal matters. On that basis, the decision states that her appointment secures within the EFSA Management Board the highest standards of competence and the broadest range of relevant experience available.

The recitals also set out the wider governance objectives behind the appointment: it is described as vital to ensure the independence, high scientific standards, transparency and efficiency of EFSA, and indispensable to ensure the authority’s cooperation with the Member States.

Entry into force and formalities

Article 2 of the decision provides that it enters into force on the date of its adoption, meaning 12 October 2026. The text was done at Luxembourg and signed for the Council by its President, D. O’Brien. The official European Legislation Identifier for the act is http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/5398/oj.

The appointment matters beyond institutional bookkeeping. The EFSA Management Board sets the strategic direction of the body that underpins European food safety, from risk assessment on additives and pesticides to scientific advice that feeds directly into EU law. A seat left empty for months would have weakened France’s voice in that governance at a time when the authority’s independence and its coordination with national agencies are under close scrutiny. With the vacancy now closed, the board returns to full Member State representation for the remainder of the 2026-2030 cycle.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/5398, 15 October 2026, section I (official reference: CELEX C_202605398).