“Last year, EU ministers called for a re-think in the way GM crops are assessed in Europe. Faced with the Commission’s reticence to take these concerns on board, EU countries have no other choice but to protect their citizens and their environment with national bans,” said Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU GMO policy director.

The Luxembourgish ban invokes the EU’s own precautionary principle because of serious scientific concerns on the long-term effects of the GM maize known as MON810. Greenpeace welcomes the decision by the Luxembourg government and calls for a substantial review of the EU’s authorisation system for GM crops.

In a meeting in December 2008, EU ministers called for wide-ranging reform in the way risks associated with GM crops are assessed. Under the current EU system, long-term effects of GM crops on human and animal health and the environment are not assessed.

Earlier this month, the European Commission failed in its latest attempt to lift national bans on MON810 in Austria and Hungary, with 22 countries opposing the move in a vote at the Council.