The precautionary principle has been the subject of a heated debate in recent months in France, not least because it was mentioned in the Environmental Charter discussed by the French Parliament in 2005, and included in the French constitution. In this context, the French Committee for Prevention and Precaution has issued a position paper—presented hereafter—in order to remind legislators and the public of the essential rationale of the precautionary principle, as the committee conceives it. The Committee for Prevention and Precaution (CPP) is an advisory body to the French Ministry of the Environment (now Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development), which was created by a Ministerial Decree on 30 July 1996 with the aim of contributing to giving sound foundations to the Ministry's policies in matters related to risk prevention and precaution; detecting, and providing warning and expertise on health issues related to disruptions in the environment; and creating a linkage between scientific research and knowledge on one hand, and regulatory action on the other. Its operational resources are provided by the Ministry's Department of Economic Studies and Environmental Assessment. The CPP is comprised of 19 scientific experts from the field of health and environment, and chaired by Professor Alain Grimfeld.1<fn id="fn1"> List of members of the CPP: Claude Alzieu, Denis Bard, Frédéric-Yves Bois, Patrick Brochard, Sylvaine Cordier, François Daniellou, Jacques Fontan, Alain Grimfeld, Jean-Marie Haguenoer, Philippe Hartemann, Philippe Hubert, Armand Lattes, Reza Lahidji, Christine Noiville, Martine Remond-Gouilloud, Jacques Varet, Pierre Verger, Philippe Verger, Sylvie Charron (Scientific Sectretariat). </fn>
