Risk Analysis and Governance in EU Policy Making and Regulation: An Introductory Guide

This book provides an easy, but comprehensive and rigorous access to the main concepts, terminology, methods and procedures of risk analysis intended for all those involved in the EU policy and regulatory decision making on risks. It establishes a common ground of knowledge which enables a more informed dialogue on risks, a closer collaboration between decision makers and scientists and a better appraisal of the potential and limits of risk science. The book also brings together in an accessible way much multidisciplinary knowledge which had been dispersed over many technical documents and specialist books. The EU is in the front line of health, safety and environmental risk management. GMOs, food safety, hazardous chemicals, climate change, radiation hazards, are just a few of the popular risk issues addressed by the EU through policy and regulatory measures. The risk analysis paradigm, including risk assessment, management and communication has been at the core ofthe EU decision making for a long time already. EU Institutions strive for a science-based approach to risk management. Nevertheless, the dialogue and collaboration on risk issues between policy makers, stakeholders and scientists are still difficult and the potential and limits of science in support of decision making, as well as the basic concepts of risk analysis are not fully understood outside the narrow specialist circles.

Table of Contents:
1.Introduction.- 2.On the Concepts and Dimensions of Risk.- 3.Risk Policy and Risk Analysis.- 4.Risks and Risk Assessment.- 5.Risk Management.- 6.Risk Communication and Risk Dialogue.- 7.Risk Governance.- 8.Improving the Quality and Utility of Risk Assessment through Best-Practice Organization and Operation.- 9.Guidelines on Best-Practice Risk Analysis.

About the Author :
Bernardo Delogu is a former Head of the Risk Assessment Unit at the Health Directorate-General of the European Commission, currently retired after completing a 37 year career at the European Commission where he gained extensive knowledge and experience of European policies in the areas of health, the environment, risk assessment, the internal market and research. As a European Commission high official he has been in charge of developing, negotiating and implementing EU policies and regulation, notably in the former Directorate-General Health and Consumers as Advisor for Research and Science, Head of the Risk Assessment Unit, Head of the Products and Service Safety Unit, and previously as Head of Sector and Policy Officer in the Environment, Industry and Energy departments of the Commission. Trained as a nuclear engineer, Bernardo started his career as a nuclear safety analyst in industry. He is now devoting part of his time to independent research on science and policy analysis.