Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | European Commission Looks to Loosen Hold on GMO Regulations

European Commission Looks to Loosen Hold on GMO Regulations

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jul 15, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 15, 2010


The European Commission recommended sweeping new changes to the European Union’s policy on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Tuesday, unveiling a proposal to grant individual member states the right to decide for themselves whether to allow their domestic farmers to grow the altered crops.

“I think that this proposal reflects a balanced approach to a sensitive issue, in particular for European citizens,” European Health Commissioner John Dalli told journalists on Tuesday.

The possibility of a policy shift drew sharp criticism from both sides of Europe’s contentious GMO debate, with industry representatives complaining that the change would make European regulations even more unwieldy and green groups berating what they saw as a fatal weakening of Europe’s stance against “frankenfoods.”

The proposed changes would come in the form of an amendment to the EU’s 2001 Directive on the Deliberate Release of GMOs to allow member states “to restrict or prohibit cultivation of GMOs on their territories,” according to a statement from the Commission. However, the amendment would not give countries the right to ban imports of GM products or to prohibit the marketing of those seeds within their borders.

Before it can become law, the amendment will have to win the approval of both the European Parliament and a qualified majority of EU member states. Regardless of whether the amendment is adopted, the EU-wide system for granting approval for the cultivation of genetically modified seeds in Europe will remain in place, Commissioner Dalli insisted on Tuesday.

“Let me be clear,” he said at a press conference, “this proposal does not mean that the Commission walks away from its responsibilities. On the contrary, and far from it.”

The EU-level process considers petitions from biotech companies on a case-by-case basis, evaluating the potential environmental and health effects of each new GM seed for which a petition has been submitted. Only two genetically modified seeds have been approved for cultivation in Europe: a strain of maize produced by agriculture giant Monsanto and a type of starch potato from Amflora, which was approved in March, but only for industrial uses. The amendment proposed on Tuesday, however, would allow individual member states the right to effectively overrule the bloc-level authorisation of GM seeds.

The 27-nation EU has long been schizophrenic in its attitudes toward GMOs. Member states Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and Luxembourg have issued blanket bans on the cultivation of GM seeds, citing health and environmental concerns under a safeguard clause contained in the 2001 directive. Other countries, however - including the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - appear more open to allowing their farmers to grow the altered crops.


Industry, green groups wary of shift

Representatives of European farmers expressed concerns on Tuesday that the devolution of GM approval to member states would muddle up regulations across the EU and potentially trigger a flood of new lawsuits. Carel du Marchie Sarvaas of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, warned that the amendment would cause “further legal uncertainty” for farmers who want to grow the crops.

“These proposals appear to give carte blanche to ban safe and approved GM crops in any country or region regardless of the needs or wishes of their farmers,” Sarvaas said.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Europe worried that after the shift, the European Commission would lean on EU member states to approve GM seeds at the bloc level - an accusation that Dalli denied at his press conference on Tuesday. The two environmental groups also say that the national bans would not be legally enforceable and could be subject to challenges. They insist that the safety of genetically altered products has not yet been adequately proven.

“The Commission continues to fail to protect Europe’s food and feed from contamination by GM crops, and we urge countries to reject this deal as it stands,” said Mute Schimpf, a food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe. “Until member states’ demands for a full reassessment of the risks of GM crops are met, there should be a moratorium on authorising new GM crops.”

Some say that the move to devolve regulatory authority on GMOs back to member states could set a dangerous precedent for European integration. Already this year, the 27-nation bloc has struggled to overcome deep internal divisions over how to respond to fiscal crises in Greece and other debt-ridden member states.

“GM crops are an extremely divisive subject between member states, but if they do it for this issue, what other issues will they do it for in future?” Jo Swinnen, a senior research fellow at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy studies, told the EurActiv news agency. “This is actually an enormous precedent to hand EU powers back to the member states.”

ICTSD reporting; “EU eyes looser biotech controls,” THE NEW YORK TIMES, 10 July 2010; “GM crop ban may be lifted in Europe,” THE GUARDIAN, 12 July 2010; “EU wants to put GMO dispute to an end,” EURACTIV, 12 July 2010; “EU move to break GM deadlock could sow discord,” EURACTIV, 1 July 2010.


ICTSD, Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, Volume 14, Number 26, 14 July, 2010, http://ictsd.org/i/news/bridgesweekly/80650/


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close