The European Commission’s proposals to give EU member states effective control over whether GM food should be grown in their countries have come under fire in the European Parliament.
Its environment committee has debated the plans, with Portuguese green MEP Marisa Matias and others raising concerns that national bans on products approved for cultivation across the EU may be vulnerable to legal challenges, perhaps at the World Trade Organisation. Mataias commented: “We don’t know if the guarantees are sufficient.”
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Also, French liberal MEP Corinne Lepage mirrored a common disappointment on the committee that health and environment grounds could not be cited by governments. Replying, EU heath Commissioner John Dalli said these could only justify EU-wide bans.
There were also attacks from the right. French conservative MEP Françoise Grossetête warned differing national policies within the EU could cause “distortions in the market”. And Spanish conservative Pilar Ayuso said the EU should not be a “bubble” against GMOs, especially considering its large-scale import of GM animal feed.
