Article 8
Emergencies 1. The Authority shall take the necessary measures to ensure that a requested or own-initiative opinion is delivered as soon as possible where the information accompanying the request or self-referral testifies to an urgent need for a scientific opinion. 2. An urgent need shall be deemed to exist in the following cases: - an emerging risk likely to constitute a serious risk to human or animal health or the environment and likely to have a Community dimension, - an urgent need on the part of the Commission for a more detailed scientific basis for managing a serious risk to human or animal health or the environment. 3. If a request which partly or completely overlaps with an urgent request for an opinion already received is submitted to the Authority, the Authority shall ensure that any new scientific elements which might be introduced by this new request are considered when dealing with the urgent request already received.