EU

16 July 2008

The president of the European Commission Barroso came up with a new idea to solve the problem that so far there has never been a qualified majority to approve of a GM crop: he simply wants to get Member States to agree on GMOs behind closed doors.
If there is no qualified majority either in favour or against an application, that is a given number of votes that is higher then just a simple majority, then it is up to the Commission to take a decision. That the EU Commission is described as undemocratic is nothing new - but does the Barroso have to make it so blatantly obvious? And is he really hoping that those countries that abstain from the vote, or even vote against the approval of a GMO can be pressured into conforming to his wishes once the public can't see what's happening?

8 July 2008

Thanks to a lot of hard work of NGOs and civil society organisations, the EU Envrionmental Committee decided to drop its agrofuel targets from 10 to 4%. Together with a decision in the UK this shows that the uncritical hype to replace fossil fuels by crops without changing much about fuel and energy use ist over, and that there are serious doubts whether the production of agrofuels can be sustainable and fair.

8 May 2008

On Wednesday, 7 May 2008, the EU Commission refered three GM crops back to the EFSA: the GM starch potato Amflora and the two Bt maize events Bt11 and 1507. Environmental Commissioner Dimas had already announced earlier that he would propose to reject the two Bt maize. Referring the cses back to the EFSA atthis stage might be an historic step, but unfortunately it is not to be expected that the EFSA GMO Panel will now change its mind, so in the long run the issue of GM cultivation willstill need tobe resolved where it belongs: in the political arena.

10 March 2008

On 6 March, BASF announced that there would be no commercial cultivation of the GM potatoe Amflora - while a few weeks ago the company with acting as if getting the required aproval for planting was immanent.

1 February 2007

A. Lorch, GID 180 Februar 2007.

On 20 February 2007, the EU Environmental Ministers are supposed to decide on an application by BASF for the cultivation of a genetically modified potato. BASF seems to be optimistic that this application will be approved: the company already registered in January more then 150 hectares in the German states Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for commercial cultivation. But somehow nobody seems to raise this issue, nobody seems to oppose it. Five good reasons to act against the approval of BASF's GM potato Amflora.

1 February 2007

A. Lorch, GID 180 Februar 2007.

Bei der EU liegt ein Zulassungsantrag von BASF für den Anbau einer gentechnisch veränderten Kartoffel vor, über den die EU-UmweltministerInnen am 20. Februar entscheiden sollen. Die BASF scheint zuversichtlich, hat sie doch bereits Mitte Januar über 150 Hektar für den Anbau in Brandenburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern angemeldet. Und dennoch regt sich kein Sturm der Entrüstung, geht kaum jemand auf die Barrikaden. Fünf gute Gründe, sich dennoch gegen die Zulassung der BASF-Gentech-Kartoffeln zu engagieren.

10 December 2006

Edited version of comments submitted to EFSA's 'Open consultation on Starch potato EH92-527-1', December 2006.

BASF applied for approval for the cultivation of the GM starch potato Amflora, as well as for its use as food and feed. Even though the application does not include any sufficient information to evaluate its environmental and food/feed safety, the EFSA gave a positive opinion.

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