Brussels, 20/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - When called upon to give their stance on the Commission's proposal to make Hungary lift its safeguard measure against GM maize MON 810, EU environment ministers refused to comply with the Commission's wishes on 20 February in Brussels. The Environment Council, chaired by Germany's environment minister, Sigmar Gabriel, raised the qualified majority required to reject the Commission's proposal (only Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden were in favour of the proposal. Romania abstained. All others voted against). In so doing, the Council has acted as it did on 18 December last for a similar proposal against an Austrian ban on the same genetically modified maize (EUROPE 9331).
The maize in question is authorised within the EU in line with the earlier directive on voluntary dissemination into the environment and marketing authorisation procedures for GMOS, but has not received further approval under the new regulatory framework currently in force (Directive 2001/18/EC).
In calling for the Hungarian ban on the GM maize to be lifted, the Commission based its argument on the opinion issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in March 2006, which stated there was no reason to believe that the marketing of MON 810 was likely to have any adverse effects on human or animal health, or on the environment, in the current conditions of authorisation.
Three possibilities are now open to the Commission to pull itself out of this rut. It could put the proposal forward again in the hope that the outcome will be different, or submit a new proposal according to comitology procedure, or draft a new proposal in Council and Parliament, in co-decision. (an)