November 13, 2014
EU Parliament okays plan to give member states free hand over GMO
GM crop advocates suffered a major setback after the European Parliament endorsed a new plan Tuesday (November 11) that allows countries in the EUto ban genetically modified crops on their soil, even if they are approved for cultivation in the EU.
Europe has been divided on the GM crop issue, with opposition prevalent in many countries including France and Germany. Britain favours GM crops.
Earlier this year EU ministers endorsed a compromise that would have required negotiations with the relevant companies, if a nation wanted to ban a GM crop in the event it had been approved for EU-wide use. But the new plan endorsed by the Parliament''s environment committee on Tuesday abandons the compromise and allows member states to ban GM crops on environmental grounds.
The new plan''s endorsement at the committee level was lauded by GM crop opponents.
Bart Staes, a spokesman for the Greens in the European Parliament, said after the committee vote: "MEPs have today voted to strengthen the hand of member states or regions wanting to opt out of EU authorisations of GMOs. No must mean no: countries wanting to opt out of GM authorisations must have a totally legally watertight framework for doing so".
Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director, said, "Today''s vote would give European countries a legally solid right to ban GM cultivation in their territory, making it difficult for the biotech industry to challenge such bans in court".
Conservatives, on the other hand, rued the new plan.
Julie Girling, environment spokeswoman for the Conservatives in the European Parliament, said, "The parliament''s position on GM cultivation risks inflicting untold damage to robust, science-based policymaking in Europe. We strongly oppose these proposals and voted against them today. We will continue to oppose them".
Once the new plan receives final endorsement from the European Parliament and member states, it is expected to become a law by 2015.
EU authorities have so far approved only two GM crops for commercial cultivation. One of them was later blocked by a court, leaving Monsanto''s GM maize MON810 as the only GM crop grown in Europe. GM maize MON810 has been cultivated in Spain and Portugal for the past decade.