Daily Environment Report™
Source: Daily Environment Report: News Archive > 2011 > April > 04/13/2011 > News > Biotechnology: European Environment Panel Seeks Expansion of Plan to Ban Biotech Crops
Biotechnology
European Environment Panel Seeks
Expansion of Plan to Ban Biotech Crops
Expansion of Plan to Ban Biotech Crops
BRUSSELS—A proposal to allow EU member states to ban the cultivation of genetically modified plants based on reasons other than sound science passed an important hurdle April 12 when the European Parliament's Environment Committee not only backed the plan but called for an expanded version to help it withstand a potential challenge in the World Trade Organization.
In a report that the European Parliament General Assembly is to vote on in June, the pending legislation was expanded to include environmental protection as a permissible reason to ban the cultivation of biotech crops. The report cited pesticide resistance and biodiversity protection as justified environmental criteria. Those criteria would join others proposed by the European Commission, including ethical and socioeconomic reasons.
“This vote is a clear signal … the EU authorization system should be maintained but it should be acknowledged that some agricultural and environmental impacts as well as socio-economic impacts linked to contamination can be cited by member states to justify a ban or restriction on GM [genetically modified] crop cultivation,” said French European Parliament Member Corinne Lepage, who spearheaded the report's passage in the committee. “This would also provide greater legal protection against possible WTO challenges to GM crop bans.”
The Environment Committee approved the report in a 34-10 vote with 16 abstentions.
Commission legal experts say the proposal is in line with WTO rules. However, the legal service of the Council of Ministers, which has been debating the legislation since it was proposed in July 2010, says it is not.
Although Parliament is expected to approve the measure in June, the proposal has an uncertain future. A large majority of EU member states have voiced opposition to it. Some favor a complete ban on genetically modified crops. Others say the proposal violates not only WTO rules but also EU single market rules. In addition, some EU member states say it would establish a bad precedent by moving away from sound science as a criteria for food safety regulations (51 DEN A-9, 3/16/11).
The U.S. Trade Representative is following the proposed legislation closely. USTR criticized the proposal when it was unveiled by the Commission in July 2010 because it would allow EU member states to ban biotech crops for ethical and socioeconomic reasons.
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