EU Council deals another blow to GMO proposal
A proposal by European Commissioner John Dalli to let member states decide for themselves whether to allow GMO cultivation has received another blow making it almost impossible for it to move forward without drastic amendments Following harsh criticism...
A proposal by European Commissioner John Dalli to let member states decide for themselves whether to allow GMO cultivation has received another blow making it almost impossible for it to move forward without drastic amendments
Following harsh criticism by various member states, pro-environment lobby groups and the European Parliament, the straw that may break the camel’s back came from the legal services of the EU Council (representing member states) in the form of a negative opinion on the proposal.
The Council’s legal opinion was sought by an ad hoc committee of EU ambassadors charged specifically with dealing with the GMO dossier.
According to the Council’s legal experts, the Commission’s proposal is “inappropriate” even from a legal point of view.
The Council’s team of lawyers said they also considered that a national measure banning cultivation on the basis of ethical criteria, as suggested by Mr Dalli, could be set aside by the EU Court of Justice if challenged.
Very solid arguments were needed to justify a restriction on a harmonised measure and the ban would have to be coherent, the lawyers pointed out.
As an example, the legal opinion says it would be difficult to justify the choice of banning GMOs on the basis of ethical criteria in a country where livestock is given feed which has been genetically modified.
In its opinion, the Council also referred to possible incompatibility with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), a global trade agreement.
During preliminary discussions held after the publication of the proposal, both the Agriculture and the Environment Ministers Councils delivered an overall negative reaction to the Commission’s proposal.
Two GMOs are cultivated at present in certain European countries: maize 810, produced by the US group Monsanto, which is awaiting renewal of its authorisation, and the Amflora potato, developed by the German group BASF and authorised by the Commission three weeks after Mr Dalli took office in Brussels.