Centre d'Excellence Europe Capitole

The EGERI Programme follows on from the OPALE Programme focusing on the European Union Food and Food Safety Policy. It entails extending the scope of the study of food safety, taking it further and addressing it from different angles, which allows for the identification of 4 specific areas:
- Furthering the study on food safety in the light of European Union initiatives
- Developing a comparative approach to risk management especially as it relates to food safety.
- Becoming more involved with European Union initiatives in terms of “safety”.
- Venturing beyond food safety to become involved in healthcare policy

1) As furthering work related to food safety has taken priority, there have been multiple outcomes of the programme:
- Marc Blanquet and Nathalie de Grove-Valdeyron Coordination: Food safety and GMO (R. Ouellet dir.) Toulouse 1 University Press, 2007.
- Marc Blanquet: “Les OGM dans les stratégies de l’Union européenne” (GMOs in European Union Strategies) in “Sécurité alimentaire et OGM” (Food Safety and GMOs), R. Ouellet (dir.), Toulouse 1 University Press, 2007. Paper at the international symposium in Québec, 2005
- Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: “L’encadrement juridique européen des OGM : une avancée pour le consommateur” (The European Legal Framework of GMOs: a Step Forward for the Consumer) in “Sécurité alimentaire et OGM” (Food safety and GMOs), R. Ouellet (dir.), Toulouse 1 University Press, 2007. Paper at the international symposium in Québec, 2005
- Marc Blanquet: “Politique agricole commune” (Public Agricultural Policy) column, in the European Law Directory 2007
- Marc Blanquet: “L’évolution du modèle agricole européen vers un développement durable et…utile” (The Development of a European Agricultural Model moving towards Sustainable and Useful Development” in “Production et consommation durables. De la gouvernance au consommateur-citoyen” (Sustainable Production and Consumption. From Governance to the Consumer-Citizen” (G. Parent dir.), Ed. Yvon Blais Québec, September 2008, pg. 367.
- Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: “La stratégie de l’Union européenne en faveur d’une production et d’une consommation durables” (The European Union Strategy in Favour of Sustainable Production and Consumption) in “Production et consommation durables : de la gouvernance au consommateur-citoyen” (Sustainable Production and Consumption. From Governance to the Consumer-Citizen” international symposium (G. Parent dir.), Ed. Yvon Blais, September 2008.
- New edition of the CAP volume of the Megret commentary (2009): the section on food safety will be contributed by Marc Blanquet and Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron


2) In terms of the comparative aspect, Programme Managers invited to the University, in February 2009, Professor Richard Ouellet from Laval University in Quebec who gave a very well-attended lecture entitled “Étude comparée (Europe /Amérique du Nord) du rôle de la preuve scientifique et du principe de précaution dans l’élaboration des mesures sanitaires et phytosanitaires” (Comparative Study (Europe / North America) on the Role of Scientific Evidence and the Precautionary Principle in the Development of Health and Hygiene and Phytosanitary Measures). A thesis is also under joint supervision (Toulouse / Montreal) focusing on “L'analyse du risque dans le domaine du médicament : approche comparée endroit européen et en droit canadien” (Risk Analysis in the Medical Field: a Comparative Approach between European Law and Canadian Law).

3) The programme has also allowed for the development within the IRDEIC of an excellence hub addressing food safety questions and leading to several achievements:
- Marc Blanquet: “L’appropriation par la Communauté des impératifs de sécurité”, in “Qu’en est-il de la sécurité des personnes et des biens ?” (Community Assimilation of Safety Imperatives”, in “What is the Status of Safety concerning People and Property?) (M. Nicod dir.), LGDJ 2008, pp. 175 to 219.
- Marc Blanquet: “L’évolution des impératifs de sécurité dans les politiques communautaires” (Changes in Safety Requirements in Community Policies), in “Union européenne et sécurité” (The European Union and Safety), Bruylant, 2009.
- Marc Blanquet: Lecture at the Summer University of Rennes on the same topic (September 2007)

4) Through the EGERI Programme, the IRDEIC has finally achieved status as an excellence hub on community law and public health policy.
The development of this policy, the interfacing between economic objectives and public health requirements, the medicines policy and the free movement of patients have been the topics guiding the teams’ directions of thought.
The achievements realised have been the outcome of individual, but above all, collective efforts.
Individual achievements:
- Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: Public Health Booklet (2006 and 2008) Dalloz Community Law Directory
- Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: Medicines Booklet (2007) Dalloz Community Law Directory - Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: “La mobilité du patient communautaire sous l’angle de la jurisprudence de la Cour de Justice des Communautés européennes : avancées et incertitudes” (The mobility of the Community Patient from the Perspective of European Union Court of Justice legal principles: Progress and Uncertainties) Paper at the symposium organised by the ALASS in Brussels, September 2008 (Studies on Community Health and Medicines Law, IRDEIC studies, no. V; Toulouse 1 University Press, 2009).
- Marc Blanquet: “Les soins de santé transfrontaliers en Europe. De la difficulté de codifier une jurisprudence libérale” (Cross-border Healthcare in Europe. The Difficulty in Codifying Liberal Jurisprudence). Lecture at the ALASS Brussels, September 2008; Studies on Community Health and Medicines Law, IRDEIC Studies, no. V; Toulouse 1 University Press, 2009.
- Marc Blanquet: Public Health Policy, column in the European Law Directory.
- Olivier Blin: “L'accord de 2003 à l'OMC sur l'accès aux médicaments essentiels : un accord pour rien ?” (The WTO Agreement of 2003 on Access to Basic Medicines: a Meaningless Agreement?) Symposium paper “Le médicament : aspects de droits international, communautaire et comparé” (Medicines: Aspects of International, Community and Comparative Laws), Toulouse, 25 March 2009.

Joint achievements:
- Joint paper (Marc Blanquet / Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron) at the 2nd international Conference on the Medicines Chain, Montreal, 16 October 2007: “Les apports du règlement communautaire concernant les médicaments de thérapie innovante” (Contributions of Community Regulations on Medicines for Innovative Therapies).
- Joint article (Marc Blanquet / Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron): “Les enjeux et les apports du règlement communautaire concernant les médicaments de thérapie innovante” (The Challenges and Contributions of Community Regulations on Medicines for Innovative Therapies) (with N. De Grove-Valdeyron), Review of European Affairs, 2006/4 (2008), pg. 689-721.
- Joint contribution (Marc Blanquet / Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron): “Le règlement communautaire concernant les médicaments de thérapie innovante” (Contributions of Community Regulations on Medicines for Innovative Therapies), IRDEIC Studies, no. V; Toulouse 1 University Press, 2009. Marc Blanquet and Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron: “Etudes de droit communautaire de la santé et du médicament” (Studies on Public Health and Medicine Laws), IRDEIC Studies, no. V; Toulouse 1 University Press, 2009
- Joint proposal (Marc Blanquet / Nathalie De Grove-Valdeyron) on a paper concerning “La réglementation de l’information relative aux médicaments en Europe : vers une sécurité juridique renforcée ?” (The Regulation of Medicines-Related Information in Europe: moving towards Increased Legal Safety?) at the 3rd International Conference on the Medicines Chain, Milan, 21 to 24 September 2009.

At present, the programme results are bringing to light, qualitatively, recognition of the IRDEIC’s expertise in these fields, leading to invitations and requests to work on such issues, with this recognition being achieved at both a national and international level.
Quantitatively, the following has been achieved: 2 joint collaborative works, 1 joint article, 2 joint papers at an international colloquium, 2 joint contributions to a book, 2 columns, 2 lectures, 6 papers at an international symposium, 2 papers at a national symposium, 6 contributions to a joint work (whether part of conference proceedings or not), 2 fascicles in legal encyclopaedia.