Greens seek to keep moratorium on GMOs

Date: 14/12/00

By Renée Cordes

GREEN MEPs and environmental groups are urging EU governments to maintain their de facto moratorium on granting new licenses for genetically modified organisms until labelling and traceability measures are in place, despite this week's deal with the European Parliament on new rules.

Under a preliminary agreement reached between the assembly and member states earlier this week, the European Commission could start issuing licenses for new products from February 2001, ending a ban imposed two years ago amid safety concerns.

The move to lift the moratorium is part of a wider accord, due to be finalised early next year, which seeks to revise the Union's 90/220 directive governing the deliberate release of GMOs into the environment.

As part of the deal reached after weeks of conciliation talks, member states and MEPs agreed to require the establishment of a public register - which would be accessible to all citizens - containing precise information on where GMO crops are being grown for commercial purposes in the EU. Such disclosure currently applies only to field test sites.

"It seems to me we have reached a good solution," said UK Socialist MEP David Bowe, the Parliament's rapporteur on the issue, adding that he was confident the preliminary accord would survive despite the Green MEPs' reservations.

German member Hiltrud Breyer, the Greens' spokeswoman on the issue in the environment committee, said there were still concerns about the scope of the new directive because key issues such as environmental liability, labelling, traceability and contaminated seeds had not yet been addressed. "Further legislation will be necessary and it would be wrong of the Commission to assume that we can now resume GMO approvals," she said. "The existing moratorium on new commercial consents must remain in place until all the pieces of the puzzle have been solved."

Five member states have banned GM products which have already been approved at EU level, using a provision in the 90/220 directive which allows them to restrict the use or sale of specific products temporarily under certain conditions.

Gill Lacroix of Friends of the Earth Europe welcomed the decision to create a public GMO registry. But she said the changes agreed had "major shortcomings". In particular, the group would like to see an immediate phase-out of antibiotic-resistant genes and strict rules on GMO pollution.

Industry group Europabio said it was too early to claim victory, expressing scepticism that governments would ultimately be willing to lift the moratorium. "It may be the will of the Commission, but I am not sure member states are ready to implement that," said the group's government affairs specialist Nathalie Moll.

Green MEPs and environmental groups are urging EU governments to maintain their de facto moratorium on granting new licenses for genetically modified organisms until labelling and traceability measures are in place, despite the recent deal with the European Parliament on new rules.