Brussels, 18/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The French Council of State has rescinded the safeguard measures put in place by France to prevent the cultivation of transgenic maize MON 810 from Monsanto within its borders, but this decision will not in any way change France's legal ban on the cultivation of this GMO and all varieties of other genetically modified maize, announced the country's agriculture minister, Stéphane Le Foll, on Friday 15 April.
“This ruling does not mean that the sowing and planting of transgenic maize will be resumed in France. On 15 September 2015, France took the decision to ask the European Commission that cultivation of the nine varieties of maize already authorised or in the course of authorisation at EU level not be allowed within its national territory”, the minister stated in a press release.
Under the terms of new EU rules (Directive 2015/412/EU), member states may, for duly substantiated reasons other than environmental and health, perfectly legally restrict or ban the cultivation within their national borders of GMOs that have been authorised in the EU, on condition that they notify the Commission.
On 3 March of this year, the European Commission excluded France from the scope of the European authorisation of transgenic maize MON 810 from Monsanto, the only GM maize currently authorised for cultivation in the EU, the French minister points out. In all, 13 member states oppose cultivation of MON 810 (see EUROPE 11401).
The now overturned French safeguard measures were adopted by decree on 14 March 2014, banning cultivation of MON 810 and all varieties of genetically modified maize (see EUROPE 11073). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)