EU member states yesterday managed to reach a compromise over the future cultivation of GM crops in the bloc, breaking a four-year political deadlock.
Under the new deal, spearheaded by Health Commissioner Tonio Borg and the Greek EU Presidency, member states will have more flexibility in allowing or banning the cultivation of these controversial crops on their territory.
Until now, the onus of such a decision rested on an agreement among member states and the EU executive.
The agreement reached yesterday still needs the green light from the European Parliament.
A two-step procedure is established to restrict or ban the cultivation of authorised GMOs
“We have reached an important political agreement that moves towards a new legal basis giving member states the choice to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs on their territory,” Commissioner Borg told a press conference after a meeting of EU Environment Ministers in Luxembourg yesterday.
“Under this agreement, a two-step procedure is established to restrict or ban the cultivation of authorised GMOs,” Commissioner Borg said.
Before the authorisation of a GMO by the EU, countries will be able to request the applicant company, via the European Commission, to specify in the application that the GMO cannot be cultivated on all or part of their territory.
Secondly, the member state in question will be able, by adopting an opt-out measure, to have the final say not to cultivate an EU-authorised GMO on its territory.
Member states have also acquired the right to reinitiate the process during the 10 year period of the GMO authorisation, should new objective circumstances appear.
Under the new rules, member states do not have to justify their decision to ban cultivation.
At the same time, member states agreed to keep in place the current system where it comes to the authorisation process of GMOs.
When a company applies for authorisation, a risk assessment is carried by the European Food Safety Authority and member states will be able to take a vote on the decision for authorisation.
Only one GMO – maize – is commercially cultivated in the EU. Authorised in 1998 it is currently grown in Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.
Malta, together with the majority of member states, is against the cultivation of GMOs.