| Author (Person) | Mundell, Ian |
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| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.12, No.5, 9.2.06 |
| Publication Date | 09/02/2006 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Ian Mundell Date: 09/02/06 The European Union has set its face against early changes to rules on genetically modified (GM) crops and products, despite an unfavourable report from the World Trade Organization (WTO) delivered on Tuesday (7 February). The US, which had brought a complaint against the EU at the WTO, welcomed the preliminary ruling. Deputy US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said it was "a significant and positive development". But EU officials said Europe's system for regulating GM crops and related products had been "totally vindicated". While the interim report of a dispute settlement panel is critical of the system as it operated in 1998-2003, nothing in the report obliges the EU to modify its current regulatory approach, the officials argued. Questions remain for member states that have introduced national 'safeguards' in addition to the EU controls. The panel was set up in 2004 to advise the WTO's dispute settlement body after a complaint was filed by the US, Argentina and Canada that the EU had a moratorium on the approval and marketing of GM crops and related products and was therefore blocking imports of agricultural and food products. Several EU states were also accused of refusing to authorise GM crops and products that had received EU approval. The panel's interim report is understood to conclude that, in October 1998-August 2003, there were delays in the EU system which might be said to constitute a de facto moratorium. But EU officials said that the report also made clear that no moratorium currently exists. The panel has concluded that some of the national safeguards in place at the time of the complaint were not consistent with existing evaluations of risk. This involves Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg and Italy, although in the case of Italy the national safeguards are no longer in place. The European Food Safety Authority is currently examining the scientific evidence and risk assessments underpinning these national safeguards and will report to the European Commission and Council of Ministers at the end of February. "The panel did not challenge our right to set our own rules and we will continue to do so," an EU official said. BEUC, the European consumers' organisation, welcomed "the Commission's strong defence of the current regime". Friends of the Earth, the environmental group, said the EU should fight against the ruling. Those involved in the case have two weeks to digest the findings of the interim report and correct any factual errors in the text. The final version of the report is to be released in March and the WTO dispute settlement body will make its ruling late in 2006 or early in 2007. That decision is open to appeal by either side. The EU has set its face against early changes to rules on genetically modified crops and products despite an unfavourable report from the WTO delivered on 7 February 2006. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, United States |
