13 European Union member states want cultivation prohibitions
In the future the individual European Union member states themselves are to decide on the cultivation of genetically changed organisms (GVO). They can forbid to these also completely or for certain regions. This plans a proposal of 13 European Union member states, which yesterday the secretaries of the environment of the European Union discussed. A decision did not fall. Germany did not sign the proposal compiled by Austria.
At the last meeting of the European Union secretaries of the environment March the Netherlands had suggested at the beginning of for the first time, the general permission of GVO at the European Union too left to shift the decision over the cultivation of GVO however on the member states. Austria took up these suggestions and pointed a way out, how this would be to be converted. Small additions of the relevant regulations should grant the unlimited right to the member states to forbid the cultivation of the European Union of certified GVO totally or partly. Legally to justify can one is such a regulation by the Subsidiaritätsprinzip specified in the European Union contract as well as the unanimity demanded there with decisions over the land use. Alternatively a list could be specified by socio-economic criteria, due to those an European Union member state the cultivation of GVO on its territory or be forbidden in certain regions can.
So far member states can express only temporary cultivation prohibitions, if them new scientific realizations are present for the health or environmental injurious character of the respective GVO. These realizations are examined by the European food authority EFS and rejected regularly. The European Commission with its attempt failed nevertheless to let these prohibitions waive because of a two-thirds majority in the Council of Ministers.
Signed the paper beside Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Litauen, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary and Cyprus. The Niederland is considered as genetic engineering proponents, sees however in the proposal a possibility of overcoming the present Patt within the European Union.