Article 3
Refusal of requests for opinions 1. The Authority shall not issue a scientific opinion in the event of requests from applicants not authorised to ask the Authority for a scientific opinion under Community legislation or requests for opinions on matters which are not part of the Authority's mission. The Authority shall inform the applicant accordingly, explaining the reasons, within 30 days of receipt of the request. 2. The Authority may refuse a request in the cases described in Article 29(4) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. 3. However, requests from the Commission for opinions under Community legislation providing for consultation of the Authority shall not be refused except in the circumstances referred to in Article 29(5) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. In the cases referred to in Article 29(4) of the said Regulation, the Authority may ask the Commission for additional information or propose an amendment to the request in consultation with the Commission, applying the procedure laid down in Article 5 of the present Regulation. 4. In cases of refusal provided for in paragraph 2 of the present article, the Authority shall inform the applicant of the reasons for its refusal within a reasonable period of time. 5. Where an applicant other than the Commission requests an opinion on a matter on which Community legislation makes provision for the Authority to be consulted by the Commission, the Authority shall consult the Commission so that the latter is in a position to submit its own request in accordance with the relevant Community legislation. If the Commission submits such a request, the provisions of Article 6 of the present Regulation shall apply.