In a press release on Thursday 26 July, the French government welcomed the clarification made by the European Court of Justice the previous day in case C-528/16 that GMOs made using new mutagenesis techniques that arose after the GMO directive (2001/18/EC) are subject to the obligations laid down by said European directive (see EUROPE 12070).
The French government welcomed the expected clarification and says the ruling is a key step that will enable courts and the competent authorities to have a harmonised framework at European level to protect consumers and the environment while respecting the precautionary principle, explains the press release.
It is in France that an appeal was made to the Conseil d'État by Confédération Paysanne and eight other associations against natoinao rules exempting organisms obtained by mutagenesis from the requirements laid down by the EU directive. The French court will now settle the case in compliance with the European Court of Justice’s decision. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)