EC tries to pressure member states to lift GM bans
Bridges Trade Biores, Vol. 4 no. 22, December 3, 2004

The European Commission attempted to pressure Austria, France, Germany, Greece, and Luxembourg to repeal their national bans on specific genetically modified (GM) foods at a regulatory committee meeting on November 29 but failed to make a formal decision. Since the committee failed to reach the qualified majority required for the adoption of the Commission's draft proposal, which would have challenged the sovereignty of the five EU states by telling them to repeal bans on a ban on three modified maize varieties and two types of oilseed rape, a decision is now expected to be taken by the EU Council of Ministers. The GM foods were approved by the EC before the GM ban in 1998 but have been banned by the countries because of strong public opposition to biotechnology in foods. The ban uses the EU's so-called safeguard clause, which permits the imposition of national restrictions when there is new evidence of risk. However, their claims have been dismissed by the European Commission, which says no new information that demonstrates risk has been presented.

Diplomats suggest that the European Commission is urgently trying to lift the bans owing to a WTO case filed against the EU by the United States, Canada and Argentina which challenges the EU's GM regulations (see BRIGES Trade BioRes, 10 September 2004, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/04-09-10/story1.htm). "Instead of protecting the rights of countries to halt genetically modified foods, they have decided to cave in to the pressure of the World Trade Organization and the Bush administration," said Geert Ritsema of Friends of the Earth Europe regarding the European Commission. "Any attempt by the Commission to overturn the bans is pure political bullying," Greenpeace advocate Christoph Then said.

At the same meeting, EU member states debated for the second time the approval of Monsanto's MON863 GM maize and were unable to take a decision for or against, with eight countries voting in favour of approving the maize, 12 voting against and five abstaining. As a result, the matter passes to ministers, who will have three months to debate the Commission's proposal. If they also fail to agree, the Commission may adopt the proposal.

ICTSD Reporting; "Member states resist pressure to lift GMO ban," EURACTIV, 30 November 2004; "EU experts fail to authorise new biotech maize," REUTERS, 30 November 2004; "EU to Tackle National GMO Bans From Moratorium Era," REUTERS, 26 November 2004; "European Commission Pushes Five Member-States on Biotech Bans," FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS, 26 November 2004.