| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 12.10.01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 11/10/2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genetically modified organisms are back on the menu in Brussels as the European Commission tries once more to end the ongoing three-year moratorium on the authorisation of new products containing GMOs. In a speech at the National Press Club in Washington on 9 October 2001, David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection said,
To that effect, a meeting is scheduled for 16 October 2001 with Member States. It is the latest in a series of efforts made by the European Commission in 2001 to get the approvals process working again. In March proposals were adopted to amend Council Directive 90/220/EC and replace it with Directive 2001/18/EC; and in July the European Commission agreed on tough proposals concerning the traceability and labelling of food containing genetically modified food. Background According to a publication by EuropaBio, the global area of genetically modified crops has increased more than twenty-five fold during the five year period from 1996 to 2000. The total area of these crops in 2000 is estimated at 44.2 million hectares - approximately twice the area of the United Kingdom. In response to this rapid growth in the industry there are now a large number of websites which deal with questions relating to biotechnology, genetic engineering, food safety, and the impact on the environment (some are listed below under 'Further information can be seen in these external links'). However, it is necessary to recognise that many of the organisations providing this information are coming to the questions involved with very committed perspectives. For a reasonably balanced and objective introduction to questions relating to biotechnology and food safety have a look at the site provided by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), entitled Biotechnology at the OECD. In particular, look at the Frequently asked questions section. General questions and definitions:
Safety issues and public concern
The OECD site also provides links to websites of organisations with relevant information. GMOs and the European Union Community legislation on GMOs dates back to the early 1990s and over the last decade it has been further expanded and clarified. Four Directives (90/219/EC; 90/220/EC; 90/679/EC; and 94/55/EC) cover the regulation of most biotechnological activities in the EU. The European Commission DG for Environment has produced a useful factsheet 'Facts on GMOs in the EU' which outlines European Union legislation in this field up until July 2000. Until March 2001, Directive 90/220/EEC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms represented the main instrument for giving consent to experimental releases and for placing on the market of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, following a 1996 report on the implementation of Directive 90/220/, a proposal (COM (1998)85 final / OJ C139, 4.5.98, p1) was put forward by the European Commission in 1998 for a European and Council Directive to amend the Directive. The objectives of the proposal were to:
Further details of the objectives and the content of the proposal can be seen in European Commission Press Release IP/97/1044. The proposal was subject to the co-decision procedure. To trace the full progress of the proposal through the policy-making process you can use these services.
The Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the joint text of the directive on 14 December 2001. Amongst the compromises agreed were:
The compromise package was adopted by the European Parliament on 14 February 2001 by 338 votes to 52 with 85 abstentions but it faced stiffer opposition in the Council of the European Union the following month. Six countries - France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg - all tried to block the new directive, arguing for the need for tougher rules on the labelling and traceability of GMOs, and on making producers liable for any environmental damage. Their stance was supported by the European Consumers' Organisation who maintained that consumers still required 'clear and transparent information'. However, Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Directive 90/220/EC was formally adopted by the Council on 12 March 2001 despite abstentions by the French and Italian delegates. Commenting on the adoption of the Directive, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said:
Fellow European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne added:
New proposals on labelling and traceability In a response to the demands of EU governments, the European Parliament and European consumer organisations, the Commission agreed on new proposals (COM (2001)182 final) concerning the traceability and labelling of food containing genetically modified organisms on 25 July 2001. There are three key objectives to the proposals:
The Commission believe the proposals will help to allay consumer fears because they ensure detailed labelling of foods derived from GMO crops and traceability of products from the farm to the supermarket. David Byrne, the Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner pointed out that the latest proposals would be to the benefit of European consumers, saying,
Indeed, the proposals were met with generalised support from consumer groups. The European Consumer's Organisation (BEUC) welcomed the Commission's proposals, saying:
However, it was less sure about the proposal allowing for an acceptable amount of accidental GM contamination. This was a view shared by most consumer and environmental organisations. It has been viewed by many as a step back from the tough rules introduced with Directive 2001/18/EC since it allows for 'acceptable' contamination limits. Friends of the Earth have described it as a concession for the biotech industry to the detriment of European citizens, giving biotech companies a 'licence to pollute'; and Greenpeace suggested the proposal 'risked opening a hole in a dike, allowing for the first time unauthorised genetically modified organisms into the European Union market'. Despite these criticisms, Byrne's colleague, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom claimed that the latest proposals would build consumer confidence whilst helping to end the three year ban on GM products suggesting that, 'European companies will only be able to seize the opportunities provided by bio-technology if this confidence is established'. Tensions with Trading Partners Yet while the new proposals might open up the market to European companies they did not meet with much support beyond EU frontiers. Trading partners in the US, Canada and Argentina suggested the proposals would make the European market even more inaccessible. The US trade in corn is worth about $18 billion and about 25% of the US' annual corn production is genetically modified so access to European markets is important to their agricultural economy. The response in the US is likely to add to tension between the EU and the US over the countries' trading relationship. Both sides are preparing for the World Trade Organisation fourth ministerial conference from 9-13 November 2001 in Doha, Qatar which they hope could launch a new round of world trade talks. But the Commission's proposals could undermine Brussels' efforts as the EU's attitude to GMOs is seen as a key example of its approach to food safety and advances in biotechnology. An End to the Moratorium on GM Products? The proposals still have to go through the co-decision procedure with the European Parliament and the Council. To trace the full progress of the latest proposals through the policy-making process you can use these services.
So far the European Commission's hopes that the legislative package would lead to a restart in the trade in GM crops seemed to have been misguided. The proposals have already faced stiff opposition from the Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, environmental groups, consumer groups and even Member States. The meeting planned for the 16 October 2001 is yet another Commission attempt to restart the approvals process and end the three year moratorium on GMOs. It will bring together civil servants from the Member States and Commission officials in what is being described by the Commission as 'a purely technical explanatory meeting'. However, the Commission is likely to put pressure on Member States to restart authorisations because it feels it has fulfilled all requests by Member States as pre-requisites to lift the moratorium. A working paper suggests that the Commission is seeking a two-fold increase in the amount of approved GM food in the EU and a three fold increase in the number of permitted crops even though the recently agreed proposals have yet to be adopted. The paper, prepared jointly by the Directorate General for Environment and the DG for Health and Consumer Protection, also claims that the standstill has serious implications for European industry, agriculture and research sectors. It compares the US where fifty GMOs have been approved for use in food with the European Union which permits food products from only thirteen GMOs to enter the marketplace. Even though Directive 2001/18/EC has yet to be put into force in national laws and the latest proposals, if adopted, would not enter into force until 2003 the Commission seems keen to press ahead with 'voluntary agreements' with GM firms. This latest attempt by the Commission has already provoked widespread criticism from environmental groups ahead of the 16 October meeting. Gill Lacroix, Biotechnology Coordinator of Friends of the Earth Europe condemned the latest Commission initiative saying,
With pressure mounting from EU trade partners, European research increasingly proving the safety of GM crops and all the legislation agreed it is unlikely that the moratorium on GM crops will continue. Ultimately, GM foods are likely to become so commonplace that European consumers and governments will have to accept some of them. David Bowe, a Socialist member of the European Parliament responsible for revisions to Directive 90/220 earlier this year, argues that 'People are fighting a losing battle. They're better off tackling it head on and getting the best regulations they can'. Further information within European Sources Online:
Further earlier links within European Sources Online can be found by carrying out a search and inserting the phrase 'Genetically Modified Organisms' in the Search field. Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions Helen Bower The European Commission is to try once more to end the ongoing three-year moratorium on the authorisation of new products containing GMOs at a meeting with the Member States scheduled for 16 October 2001. |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
