Press release - October 14, 2010
Brussels, International — European environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg today are expected to criticise attempts by the European Commission to fast-track GM crop approvals in exchange for a flawed right to ban crops at the national level, said Greenpeace.
The Commission plan as it stands fails to address crucial gaps in the safety testing of GM crops, ignoring calls by EU countries and European citizens. In 2008, all EU countries asked the Commission to substantially improve safety testing to assess long-term environmental and health impacts of GM crops. This year, over a million Europeans have already signed a citizens' initiative launched by Greenpeace and Avaaz calling for a freeze on new authorisations of GM crops. [1]
So far, the Commission has failed to address safety concerns and has reiterated its intention to continue approvals of GM crops, even while the authorisation system is being reviewed.
Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: "European governments, scientists and citizens have made it clear to the Commission that they are worried about the effects of GM crops on the environment and on our health. Until GM safety issues are addressed in the Commission proposal, EU ministers should hold the Commission to account and call for a freeze of GM crop approvals."
Notes:
[1] The petition is the first-ever to come under the European citizens’ initiative, a principle enshrined in EU treaties that allows one million European citizens to formally request that the Commission legislate in accordance with their demands. This citizens’ initiative is still running and Greenpeace and Avaaz have requested a personal handover to Commission President José Manuel Barroso in Brussels in the coming weeks. To sign the one million citizens’ initiative calling for a GM freeze, go to: http://www.greenpeace.org/gepetition