Brussels, 05/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - Addressing the European Parliament's environment and agriculture committees, John Dalli, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumers ran the gauntlet on Tuesday 4 May, of questions on EU policy on authorising and growing genetically modified organisms. The Commissioner was able to confirm that he was neither for nor against GMOs and that the decisions would, “continue to be based on scientific opinions”, that a “rational debate” was required and that an, “action programme will be published before the summer in order to enable member states to decide whether they want to authorise the development of GMOs or not”. In response to Corinne Lepage (ALDE, France) and Michail Tremopoulos (Greens/EFA, Greece), members of the environment committee, the Commissioner said that the EU could not allow themselves to be overtaken in this domain. In a reply to José Bové (Greens/EFA, France), the vice president of the agriculture committee who refuted the emotional character of opposition to GMOs and proposed that work to be carried out with independent scientific experts, the Commissioner said that he agreed in principle with this kind of cooperation. (A.N./transl.fl)