AUSTRIA: An Austrian plan to ban the use of genetically-modified crops in one of its provinces was rejected yesterday by the European Commission, underlining determination in Brussels to force members to end their hostile stance towards GM products, writes Tobias Buck Brussels
The decision comes as the EU faces immense pressure to end a five-year de facto moratorium on the approval of new GM varieties after a challenge by the US at the World Trade Organisation.
The commission's efforts to restart the approval process have been repeatedly impeded by the intransigence of a group of EU member-states strictly opposed to GM technology - a stance that reflects anxieties among European consumers.
Brussels has vowed to proceed with new approvals of GM varieties following the adoption of two laws that set out stringent labelling requirements for GM products sold in the EU.
After months of acrimonious talks, the laws were passed by the European Parliament and, in July, by member-states. They are expected to come into force in the autumn.
The commission said yesterday it expected the first authorisation to come through next year, a move that should, in theory, make the US legal challenge redundant.
But EU member-states could thwart the commission's plans by demanding more legislation to protect farmers and consumers.
This is the stance the Austrian government has adopted, calling for EU-wide measures setting out rules on the co-existence of conventional and GM farming.
The debate over co-existence was also at the heart of yesterday's commission decision.
The region of Upper Austria had planned to turn itself into a GM-free zone to protect conventional and organic farms from cross-pollination and the economic damage they might suffer as a result. But Brussels found that the region had not produced any fresh scientific evidence to justify the measures. - (Financial Times)