EU legislation on GMOs Part 2

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EU legislation on GMOsPart 2

• European Conference on GMO free
  Regions,Biodiversity and Rural
  DevelopmentBerlin 22-23. January 2005

Eric Gall/Roberto Piccinini Greenpeace European
Unit Rue Belliard 199 Brussels, Belgium
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GMOs authorised for cultivation before the
moratorium

• GM maize MON 810 (EU seed list)
• GM maize Bt 176 (contains ARM)
• GM maize T 25 (no monitoring plan)
• (2 oilseedrapes, chicoree, etc. for breeding
  activities)

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GMOs recently authorised

• Maize Roundup Ready NK603 tolerant to glyphosate
  herbicide authorised on the 19th July 2004 Uses
  import and processing
• Syngenta Bt 11 sweet maize approved on the 19th
  of May 2004
• Uses import

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GMOs recently authorised
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GMOs in the pipeline
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(No Transcript)
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Applications for cultivation

• Potato with altered starch composition (Sweden,
  Amylogene)
• Oilseedrape Ms8, Rf3 (Belgium, Bayer)
• RR sugar beet Falcon (Belgium, Monsanto/Syngenta)
• RR sugar beet H7-1(Germany, KWS/Monsanto)
• 2 Oilseedrape tolerant to glufosinate (Germany,
  Bayer)

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Applications for cultivation 2

• Bt coton (Spain, Monsanto)
• Bt maize 1507 at EFSA (Spain, Pioneer)
• RR Fodder beet (Denmark, Monsanto et al.)
• Bt11 maize at EFSA (France, Syngenta)
• RR maize NK603 (Spain, Monsanto)
• maize NK603XMON810 (Spain, Monsanto)

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Possible Timetable

• 25 January 2005 MON GA 21, Food Committee vote
  under old novel food regulation 258/97 for food
  purposes
• 7 March MON 1507, Regulatory Committee vote
  under 2001/18 for import and processing
• 10 March Env. Council MON863 ?
• 6 June Syngenta Bt 11MON 1507, Regulatory
  Committee vote under 2001/18 for cultivation ?
• 20 June Safeguard clauses( MON 863) ?
• October 2005 Env. Council Bt 11Mon 1507 vote
  for cultivation ?

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Cultivation is the new frontier 

• Contamination issue on a non GM market
• Environmental impact

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Safeguard clauses

• Austria against Syngenta Bt 176 maize on
  13.02.1997, Bayer T 25 maize on 28.04.2000 and
  Monsanto MON 810 Maize on 10.06.1999
• Germany against Syngenta Bt 176 maize on
  31.03.2000
• Luxembourg against Syngenta Bt 176 maize on
  7.02.1997
• France against Bayer GM oilseed rape Topas 19/2
  on 16.11.1998 and Bayer GM oilseed rape MS1x Rf1
  on 16.11.1998
• Greece against Bayer GM oilseed rape Topas 19/2
  on 8.09.1998

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Hungary banned MON810on 19 January 2005 !

• WTO case
• Commission to withdraw its proposal ?

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Is the new system better ?

• Regulation 1829/2003 establishes a centralised
  procedure EFSACommission
• EFSA does not contribute to a better risk
  assessment
• Has the national evaluation improved ?
• Belgium biosafety council on OSR Ms8, Rf3
• No social and ethical evaluation

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No liability

• Environmental liability Directive is useless
• Liability for economic damage up to Member States

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Seed contamination

• The former Commission wanted to legalise
  unlabelled contamination of conventional seeds by
  GMOs but failed to adopt its latest proposal on
  8th September 2004
• EP and EESC in favour of detection level
• New proposal in April/March ?

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 Co-existence 

• Economic damage from contamination and
  Commission commitment
• Subsidiarity versus community level
• voluntary approach versus binding legislation
• Do MS have enough room for manoeuvre ?
•  Regional approval  (Carinthia)
• GMO-free zones

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New Commission

• More  flexible  approach ?
• Seed threshold at detection level ?
• EU legislation on  co-existence  ?
• Proper implementation of Directive 2001/18
  requirements ?
• Suspension of approval process for GMOs for
  cultivation ?