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EU states to decide on allowing GM crops
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A European Parliament committee took the first step yesterday toward permitting EU member states to decide for themselves whether to allow the hugely controversial cultivation of genetically modified crops.
The 28 European Union nations have been deeply divided for years on the issue, with some such as France bluntly opposed and others such as Britain arguing the technology cannot simply be ignored if Europe is to keep up with the world.
For want of a better solution, EU leaders thrashed out a compromise in June to hand the final decision back to national governments, even if a GM product had been approved at EU level, and yesterday the parliament’s environment committee approved the new rules by 53 votes to 11.
Significantly, the committee dropped the leaders’ recommendation that GM companies be allowed to negotiate directly with member states for approval, a move welcomed by environmental groups that had feared the firms could exercise undue influence on governments.
“The measures approved today will secure flexibility for member states to restrict (and) ban the cultivation of GM crops if they so wish,” said MEP Frederique Ries of the Liberal and Democratic Alliance, who is steering the proposals through parliament.
Member states rejecting a GM crop will be able to cite environmental policy, town and country planning, land use, agricultural policy, public policy, or possible socio-economic impacts as reasons to refuse permission, a parliamentary statement said.
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