Parliament expected to make breakthrough on countries’ right to ban GM crop cultivation

The Parliament’s environment committee will amend the position agreed last June by environment ministers which, according to Greenpeace, was riddled with legal holes and went against the Parliament’s earlier vote.

Greenpeace expects members of the European Parliament to substantially improve this law. Specifically, the Parliament is expected to reinstate the countries’ right to use environmental concerns as one of the reasons for banning GM crop cultivation, and to limit the central role that the EU ministers wanted to offer to biotech companies in the banning process.

Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “The new Parliament has a unique chance to demonstrate that it listens to the will of EU citizens. We urge Parliamentarians to radically strengthen the draft law so that it delivers on what it promises: a legally solid right to ban GM crops. Such national bans should be able to withstand legal attacks by the biotech industry.”

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