Brussels, 10/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 10 March, the European Commission published a new report on the development of national legislation on the co-existence of genetically modified crops (GMOs) with conventional and organic farming. The Commission comments that 'the development of EU-wide legislation on the co-existence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic farming does not appear justified at this time, in view of the EU's limited experience in the cultivation of GM crops and the need to conclude the process of introducing national measures.' Before any decision is taken, however, the European Commission will be working jointly with Member States and stakeholders on GMOs, and the Austrian Presidency is organising a conference on co-existence in Vienna on 5 and 6 April.
The report comments that as at the end of last year, specific co-existence legislation had been adopted in four Member States (Germany, Denmark, Portugal and six of the Austrian Lander); draft legislation has been notified to the Commission by two other Austrian Lander, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Luxembourg; Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Slovakia had not notified any draft co-existence legislation to the Commission; Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Italy had not yet drawn up any draft legislation; most Member States want measures to be implemented by the end of 2007.
At the end of 2005, some 20 pieces of draft legislation had been notified to the European Commission by seven Member States. For ten of them, the Commission argues that the measures might hinder the free circulation of goods, like the draft Austrian laws for Upper Austria and the city of Salzburg, and the draft Italian law banning the growing of genetically modified organisms. The Commission points out that EU legislation rules out a general ban on GMO in specific regions and also bans specific measures to make the growing of GMOs technically impractical. The Commission warns that it will take measures to ensure regional legislation on co-existence is compatible with EU legislation.