Guest guest Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 BRUSSELS - EU environment experts will touch on thorny issues of national sovereignty next week when they debate whether to order five countries to end their bans on gene crops and foods, officials said on Thursday. Between 1997 and 2000, several countries introduced bans on genetically modified (GMO) products already approved for use across EU territory. That was before the bloc began its de facto moratorium on authorising new GMOs, which ended in May. Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg used a provision in EU law to block the use of specific GMOs, focusing on three modified maize and two rapeseed types. The national bans mostly relate to cultivation as well as use in animal feed. The European Commission wants these bans scrapped within 20 days, in proposals that are up for debate at a meeting on Monday. " The five countries that have bans will definitely argue their case. This is a legal issue -- the new Commission hasn't objected so far, it seems happy to let the process continue. We want them (bans) lifted, " a Commission official told Reuters. For Brussels to order an EU government to do this could be extremely unpopular, especially in countries such as Austria, where opinion is strongly opposed to biotechnology in foods and there is a movement to establish entire GMO-free zones. Such an order would probably be contested by at least some of the five countries at the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice, a move likely to lead to years of legal wrangling. TEST FOR NEW COMMISSION " These are the dinosaur plants of the GM world. No one has missed them in the last 10 years. Some are so outdated that even the companies that created them have no desire to promote them, " said Christopher Then of environmental group Greenpeace. " Any attempt by the Commission to overturn the bans is pure political bullying, " he said in a statement. Diplomats say part of Commission's rush to lift the bans is due to a case filed against the EU by the United States, Canada and Argentina at the World Trade Organization, which say that the EU's moratorium flouted world trade norms. Attention will also focus on the new Commission for remarks that might reveal its thinking on GMO policy. " The most important thing is what they will say and do, " Geert Ritsema from Friends of the Earth Europe told Reuters. " This is a test case -- it will be a very good occasion to see how the new Commission behaves. " Story by Jeremy Smith REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 ya know..i have such high hopes fer the EU..but they keep tossin out sh*t like this.... don't follow us down this path!!!! Craig Dearth <cd39 Nov 25, 2004 6:18 PM 001plgormcs <plgormcs > EU & GMO oh my BRUSSELS - EU environment experts will touch on thorny issues of national sovereignty next week when they debate whether to order five countries to end their bans on gene crops and foods, officials said on Thursday. Between 1997 and 2000, several countries introduced bans on genetically modified (GMO) products already approved for use across EU territory. That was before the bloc began its de facto moratorium on authorising new GMOs, which ended in May. Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg used a provision in EU law to block the use of specific GMOs, focusing on three modified maize and two rapeseed types. The national bans mostly relate to cultivation as well as use in animal feed. The European Commission wants these bans scrapped within 20 days, in proposals that are up for debate at a meeting on Monday. " The five countries that have bans will definitely argue their case. This is a legal issue -- the new Commission hasn't objected so far, it seems happy to let the process continue. We want them (bans) lifted, " a Commission official told Reuters. For Brussels to order an EU government to do this could be extremely unpopular, especially in countries such as Austria, where opinion is strongly opposed to biotechnology in foods and there is a movement to establish entire GMO-free zones. Such an order would probably be contested by at least some of the five countries at the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice, a move likely to lead to years of legal wrangling. TEST FOR NEW COMMISSION " These are the dinosaur plants of the GM world. No one has missed them in the last 10 years. Some are so outdated that even the companies that created them have no desire to promote them, " said Christopher Then of environmental group Greenpeace. " Any attempt by the Commission to overturn the bans is pure political bullying, " he said in a statement. Diplomats say part of Commission's rush to lift the bans is due to a case filed against the EU by the United States, Canada and Argentina at the World Trade Organization, which say that the EU's moratorium flouted world trade norms. Attention will also focus on the new Commission for remarks that might reveal its thinking on GMO policy. " The most important thing is what they will say and do, " Geert Ritsema from Friends of the Earth Europe told Reuters. " This is a test case -- it will be a very good occasion to see how the new Commission behaves. " Story by Jeremy Smith REUTERS NEWS SERVICE To send an email to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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