Brussels, 30/08/2004 (Agence Europe) - Considerable confusion reigns within the European Commission on the subject of the timetable for the adoption of the proposal to set tolerance levels for GMOs in seeds. This is especially the case as, on the substance of the dossier, the final version of the proposal drawn up by the services of the Environment and Agriculture directorates general, which provides thresholds of 0.3% for varieties authorised for cultivation in the EU (maize and oilseed rape), has been judged overly ambitious by other DGs (Health and Consumer Protection, Trade and Research).
Before the summer break, the Commission planned to look at this dossier on 8 September, alongside another proposal to include seeds from varieties issued from GM plants in the Community seed catalogue (EUROPE of 27 July). But as this latter proposal is not yet ready, the Commission is hesitating between two options: delay the adoption of both proposals, or firstly adopt the proposal on GM tolerance levels in seeds. This latter option seems less likely given the political backdrop: in 2003, five Member States (Germany, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal) called for this inclusion in the joint catalogue to be blocked until legislation on genetically modified seeds has been adopted.