Brussels, 25/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Expected for quite a while now (the initial deadline was autumn 2000), the European Commission's legislative proposals on the labelling and traceability of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have again been postponed. Announced for 26 June, by Margot Wallstrom, Commissioner for the Environment, , their presentation to the College has been postponed to 13 July. According to Ms. Wallstrom's spokesperson, it is difficult to find a satisfactory solution for frame, in a regulatory manner, the accidental presence of GMOs in conventional seeds which explains this delay in the work.
The proposals to come consist in several regulations or directives to complement and perfect Directive 90/220/EEC ("voluntary dissemination of genetically modified organisms in the environment") and the regulation on "Novel Food", in the interest of the consumers. Concerned here are a rule on the labelling of products without GMOs; a regulation harmonising and complementing rules on labelling applicable to food containing GMOs or GMO derivatives; a regulation clarifying the approval procedures for novel food; a regulation relating to Novel Food; a Commission directive defining the labelling modalities for genetically modified variety of plant seeds and setting other requirements of purity concerning the presence of genetically modified seeds in batches of seeds of a traditional variety; a regulation defining the modalities for the evaluation of environmental risks linked to genetically modified plant varieties.