24/03/23 (Agence Europe) – In our article on the matter raised by Austria under ‘any other business’ at the Environment Council on 16 March on GMOs derived from new genomic techniques (see EUROPE 13144/5), we said that Belgium had supported Austria. The Belgian Representation to the EU clarified on Thursday 23 March that Belgium’s official position is not to support Austria. Belgian Federal Minister Zakia Khattabi stressed “the importance of science and the scientific approach to shed light on this subject”. She insisted on the “transparency needed to address” this issue, on the “importance of the precautionary principle” and expressed the wish “that the forthcoming discussions at Council level allow for the involvement of all the areas concerned”. She also said she was “eagerly awaiting the Commission’s legislative proposal”. See Austria’s information note: https://aeur.eu/f/5t0 (AN)