EU digs in its heels over GM products

Environment Daily 1091, 29/10/01

Biotechnology firms could have to wait three
years or more before EU governments allow new
genetically-modified (GM) crops and foods to be approved,
it emerged during a meeting of EU environment ministers in
Luxembourg today. European environment commissioner Margot
Wallström described the development as "very disturbing".

 The European Commission has been making increasing efforts
to end the three-year moratorium, which it believes is
illegal. With many governments wanting to wait until a
newly proposed regulation on traceability and labelling of
GM products is in place, it has promoted interim voluntary
introduction of these measures by industry. In September,
commissioners called on EU ministers to "show leadership"
and drop the moratorium (ED 20/09/01
http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=a-
article&ref=1064 

Today's meeting suggests that environment ministers' 
definition of leadership is the reverse. During a public 
debate on the traceability and labelling proposals, 
ministers from a hard core of six countries reaffirmed 
that there should no more approvals until the regulation 
is in force, which could take three years. Even worse 
for the Commission, EU sources told Environment Daily 
that Germany and Belgium were now "tending towards" 
the same position. France went even further, saying 
it would not support new approvals without environmental 
liability rules for GM products also being agreed. A 
frustrated Ms Wallström estimated that this might delay 
any restart by yet another two years. Italy and
Sweden hinted that they might support new approvals if
there was accelerated introduction of traceability and
labelling rules. Only the UK, the Netherlands and Spain
showed much sympathy with the Commission's position. Ms
Wallström said she would now "take stock" of the situation.
Though the Commission is legally obliged to approve
licences in the absence of a member state decision she
declined to say whether it would do so. She hinted that the
Commission might ask other ministers or heads of state to
intervene. Meanwhile, almost all ministers said they
supported the general thrust of the Commission's
traceability and labelling proposals, with the exception of
its plan to allow low-level contamination by GM "events"
not authorised in the EU. There was also strong support for
the EU to introduce traceability and labelling rules
unilaterally if international negotiations do not yield a
worldwide regime in the same timeframe. 

Follow-up: 

EU Council of Ministers http://ue.eu.int/
Tel: +32 2 285 6211; 

European Commission http://europa.eu.int/comm
Tel: +32 2 299 1111. [Entered October 29, 2001]