The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) is a committee of the European Parliament. It has 68 members and a secretariat of 10 administrators. Its current chair is Giovanni La Via, an Italian member of the European People's Party.
Contents
Evolution
During the 1990s its relatively low importance led to its being referred to unfavourably by MEPs as the "Cinderella committee". However, since then the committee's powers have increased. The co-decision procedure for legislation, which grants greater powers to the Parliament, has been extended to more policy areas. Notably, the areas covered by this committee were the main recipients of these new powers. The rising importance of the issues it deals with (for example, global warming) has also meant that it has become one of the most important committees in Parliament. The committee's open sessions, as well as constituting a major forum within the Parliament, are usually well attended by both business lobbyists and representatives from environmental NGOs.
Responsibilities
The committee is responsible for:
1. environmental policy and environmental protection measures, in particular concerning:
2. public health, in particular:
3. food safety issues, in particular: