Division 2.7 Scientific Committees

The activity of Scientific Committees relevant to Public Health should be financed under budget line 17 03 06 — Community action in the field of health.

The objective of Scientific Committees is to provide the Commission with high quality, independent advice on health risks. The financing is meant to ensure the functioning of Scientific Committees in accordance with Commission Decision 2008/721/EC^f1: special indemnities. The special indemnities are paid to experts for their participation in meetings and work on scientific opinions.

An overall amount of EUR 270 000 (around 0,6 % of the operating budget) will be earmarked for the payment of allowances to participants in meetings relating to the work of the scientific committees and of rapporteurs for completion of scientific committee opinions, in the framework of the Scientific Committees^f2. These allowances will cover all fields relevant to the second Health Programme, i.e. 100 % of costs for the SCHER (Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks) and 50 % (as an indicative percentage) of costs for the SCENIHR (Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks) and for coordination.