Brussels, 17/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission's highly controversial proposal aimed at authorising cultivation of the genetically modified maize MON 1507 by Pioneer-Dupont will be discussed again in a working group of the Council of the EU on Tuesday 21 February and not at the Agriculture Council on 17 February. This was decided by the Presidency on Friday after the EU ambassadors' exchange of views within Coreper to seek to address what has become a legal, as well as political, headache (see EUROPE 10997).
The Council has until 12 February to decide by qualified majority to approve or reject the proposal. It is not possible to bring forward to 10 February the Agriculture Council scheduled for 17 February, and the legal service has pointed out that it is impossible to defer the deadline of 12 February. The Greek Presidency therefore plans to include the subject, without debate, on the sidelines of the Ecofin Council of 28 January but France, which is clamouring for a ministerial debate so that the authorisation procedure for GMOs in the EU can be reviewed, has made it known that it will call for discussion at the Ecofin Council. Its demand for a ministerial debate is supported by several countries (such as Hungary, Denmark, Cyprus, Austria, Croatia and Ireland), which are opposed to the Commission proposal, but also by member states that are in favour of the proposal (such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic). Other countries, such as Spain and Finland, are in favour of authorising the cultivation of GM maize but are somewhat flexible when it comes to procedures. Still others, such as Germany, Portugal and Hungary, wish to wait for the debate to be held at the working group and for account to be taken of their suggested amendments to the text before making their positions known. (AN/transl.jl)