| Author (Person) | Bolton, Rohan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Series Details | 19.5.03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 19/05/2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On 13 May 2003 the US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced that the United States, supported by Argentina, Canada, and Egypt, was filing a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against the EU over its five year moratorium on approving agricultural biotechnology, or GMO, products. Nine other countries have joined as third parties in support of the case: Australia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and Uruguay. (See US Trade Representative Biotechnology website for links to the official press releases and further background information). Background The introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops is a highly controversial technology with their effect on human health, in particular the long-term risks, and their environmental impact being hotly debated issues. In Europe, a recent string of highly publicized food safety crises have heightened public concerns about food and made consumers particularly wary of GM foods. In October 1998 these consumer fears about the long term effects on health of GM technology led to the EU stopping approval of new GMOs that would be placed on the market - the de facto moratorium. A group of six Member States (France, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Austria and Luxembourg) declared that they would vote against any GMO marketing application until further rules were put into place ensuring firstly that GM products can be traced back to their source, and secondly that all GMO-derived products are labelled. US farmers and the biotechnology industry have grown increasingly frustrated with the EU ban. It has been estimated that US exports totaling $300m are being lost each year. These concerns were exacerbated in 2002 when a number of African countries refused to accept shipments of American food aid on the grounds that they may contain GM crops. In its response to the May 2003 US announcement, "European Commission regrets US decision to file WTO case on GMOs as misguided and unnecessary", the European Commission regretted the move as "legally unwarranted, economically unfounded and politically unhelpful". EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said: "The EU's regulatory system for GMO's authorisation is in line with WTO rules: it is clear, transparent and non-discriminatory. There is therefore no issue that the WTO needs to examine". David Byrne, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, recalled that it is the lack of consumer demand for genetically modified (GM) products that accounts for the low sales of GMOs in the EU market. "Unless consumers see that the authorisation process is up to date and takes into account all legitimate concerns, consumers will continue to remain skeptical of GM products". EU Commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallström added: "This US move is unhelpful. It can only make an already difficult debate in Europe more difficult. But in the meantime, the Commission strongly believes that we in Europe should move ahead with completing our legislation on traceability and labelling and on food and feed, currently before the European Parliament. We should not be deflected or distracted from pursuing the right policy for the EU". Reactions As might be expected, the biotechnology industries are broadly in support of the US position while the environmental and consumer groups have been more supportive of the EU approach. Supporting the US position In a press release urging the rapid resolution of EU Moratorium and WTO complaint, The European Association for Bioindustries (EuropaBio) is broadly sympathetic to the US action, noting that:
The National Corn Growers Association of America is critical of the European stance:
CropLife America, a body representing the developers, manufacturers, and distributors of plant science solutions for agriculture and pest management in the United States, said that the EU biotech moratorium challenge is "justified and long overdue". Supporting the European Union Environmental and consumer groups in Europe and the United States have responded forcefully, condemning the US decision and defending Europe's position. Friends of the Earth GMO campaign coordinator Geert Ritsema, said:
Similarly critical reactions from MEPs in the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament are contained in a press release: Hiltrud Breyer, a Green Party MEP from Germany said that
While Jill Evans, a Plaid Cymru MEP from Wales felt that
"The Bush Administration's challenge in the WTO is a challenge to every consumer's basic right to know and to be assured of safety", says Rhoda Karpatkin, president emeritus of Consumers Union, a US consumer organisation. Background to EU action on GMOs The main legislation under which experimental releases and placing on the market of GMOs were authorised in the Community was Directive 90/220/EEC. However, it was accepted that this regulatory regime was incomplete to address the challenges posed by the modern technology of genetic modification. This Directive was repealed by the new, updated Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms. This new Directive, which came into force in October 2002, puts in place an approval process on a case by case assessment of the risks to human health and the environment before any GMO or product consisting of or containing GMOs, such as maize, tomatoes, or microorganisms can be released into the environment or placed on the market. According to the Commission (press release of 13.05.03) the entry into force of these improved rules on approval procedures has enabled biotech companies to submit revised applications for approval of their innovative products. Recently two cotton seed oils for food use have been placed on the market in the EU following authorisation. A number of new applications for marketing of GMOs are at an advanced stage of examination and may therefore be granted over the next months in line with EU legislation. (A list of eighteen current notifications under Directive 2001/18/EC are listed in Annex 3 of Questions and answers on the regulation of GMOs in the EU.) Products derived from GMOs, such as paste or ketchup from a GMO tomato are not covered by this horizontal Directive but by vertical, sectoral legislation, for example the Regulation on Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients of 27 January 1997(Regulation (EC) 258/97). Directive 90/219/EEC, as amended by Council Directive 98/81/EC on the contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs), regulates the contained use of GMMs for research and industrial purposes. [Further detailed information is available in a Commission Factsheet produced in March 2003: Questions and answers on the regulation of GMOs in the EU] Further proposals The above Directive 2001/18/EC and two proposals for Regulations, both of which are currently before the European Parliament, are expected to pave the way for a resumption of GM authorisations in the European Union. The package consists of:
The proposals aim to put into place a stringent regulatory framework and to close existing legal gaps. They set up a harmonised community system to trace GMOs, introduce the labelling of GM feed, reinforce the current labelling rules on GM food and establish a streamlined authorisation procedure for GMOs in food and feed and their deliberate release into the environment. The intention is that with the labelling of all GM food and feed products consumers and farmers will be able to decide if they want to buy food or feed produced from a GMO, or not. Future developments The EU maintains that, once it has adopted the rules on labelling and traceability, it may well be able to lift the de facto moratorium on GMOs by the end of the year - before the WTO case is decided. Coming so soon after the problems experienced between the US and Europe in the build-up to war in Iraq, US/EU relations will be further strained. In addition, even if the United States win the case in the WTO, it will be consumer public opinion that decides whether to accept GM food or not. (For further comment and analysis see Financial Times articles 14 and 15.05.03 listed below). As Caroline Lucas a Green UK MEP declares:
By being asked to rule in such a sensitive trade conflict between two economic superpowers, the authority of the WTO will be put under strain. The organisation has already been criticised for past decisions in trade disputes, on the grounds of encroaching on national sovereignty. Further information within European Sources Online
Information from the EU institutions
Further information can be seen in these external links Subsequent information can be found in European Sources Online by an 'Advanced Search' and choosing 12.8.a from the Subject list. Rohan Bolton The United States has filed a case at the World Trade Organisation against the EU over its five year moratorium on approving GM products. |
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