Brussels, 17/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament environment committee is calling on the plenary session to veto approval for growing the genetically modified maize MON 1507 by Pioneer-Dupont and is asking the European Commission to refrain from proposing authorisation or renewing any authorisation for any kind of GMO, as long as risk assessment methods have not been significantly improved. This is effectively the substance of the draft resolution presented by the Greens (see EUROPE 10985) adopted on Tuesday 17 December (34 votes to 15, with 1 abstention) to guide the January plenary session.
MEPs argue that the genetically modified MON 1507 maize, which can resist certain insects, could threaten diurnal and nocturnal non-targeted butterflies yet the proposal does not contain provisions on conditions for protecting certain ecosystem/environments and/or geographic zones included in Directive 2001/18/EC. Parliamentarians emphasise that the Commission has gone beyond its powers of execution in the implementation of this legislation. This position has had little effect on the Commission.
Frédérick Vincent, spokesman for Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg, stated that “this is a consultative vote. The dossier is in the hands of the Council. It is expected to give its verdict on 8 February 2014”. With regard to the General Court's ruling to annul the decision authorising cultivation of BASF's Amflora potato, the spokesperson simply indicated that the “legal service is examining the dossier”. In reply to a journalist who asked whether the Commission was planning to launch an OLAF investigation, the spokesman said that the answer was no. (AN/transl.fl)