Brussels, 22/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - More choice will be allowed when it comes to GMOs imported into the EU. This is at least what the European Commission intends. On Wednesday 22 April, it proposed to amend the authorisation for GMOs imported into the EU for human food and animal feed. This will provide member states with the possibility (subject to close supervision) of restricting or banning the use of these genetically modified foods on their territory but which have been authorised at an EU level (see EUROPE 11298).
The draft decision on this issue was adopted by the College of Commissioners and is based on the flexible system for GMO crops in force in the EU since last April (as determined by the amended 2011/18/EC directive). It will give member states more room for manoeuvre on this question. With regard to imported GMOs, member states will be able to use the opt-out for not just environmental or health reasons and will not subsequently have to question the scientific risk assessments remaining within the remit of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).
The proposed text does not specify what concrete reasons could be used by member states to exercise their opt-out. It simply indicates that member states will be able to decide whether to restrict or limit the use of these imported GMOs by using the overriding reason of the general interest (such as the socio-economic impact or agricultural policy objectives), while respecting internal market rules and the European Union's international obligations, as well as those of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). They will have a 90-day period to formulate their comments on an authorisation procedure and it will be up to the Commission to say whether the reason used can justify an opt-out and is legally admissible.
This new procedure will enable the European Commission to follow suite, “over the next few days” to the 17 authorisation procedures that have been pending for years. Margrethe Vestager, the commissioner for competition (Vytenis Andriukaitis, the commissioner responsible for GMOs is ill), informed the press that the aim of this proposal, “is to give at least as much weight to the member states as the scientific opinions and to rectify the unprecedented impasse that has led to the current procedure, according to which, in the absence of an agreement had qualified majority to approve or reject an authorisation proposal, member states can not say what they want”
The Commissioner added that this proposal “Will enable Member States to address national level considerations not covered now. There are new measures providing member states with tools. EFSA will continue to review the safety. Member states will have to be careful. They would have to justify their opt-out measures that would have to be in line with rules of internal market and international obligations”.
Many voices of disapproval. Speaking at the European Parliament, Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France) expressed concern that “once again, we are witnessing Europe backtracking due to member states that are unable to agree. This is regrettable, because on a subject like this, the single market, consumer protection and research would really have benefited from common rules”. Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, Belgium) is accusing the Juncker Commission of continuing the downward slide facilitating the decision-making process to authorise GMOs in the EU, which is fundamentally different from making the decision making process more democratic. Greenpeace said that this proposal is supposed to be more democratic but is “a farce” that makes a mockery of the promise made by Jean-Claude Juncker because it sustains the current antidemocratic system by allowing the Commission to ignore the opposition from a majority of member states and citizens in the EU. Jeff Rowe, the president of the Agri-Foods Council EuropaBio was also dissatisfied with it because he believed that the European Commission had sacrificed the founding principle of the internal market by proposing to introduce a patchwork of national bans on the imports of safe products. 90% of soya imported into the EU (broad beans and oilseed) is genetically modified. (Aminata Niang)