EP Daily News, 2 July 2003

GM FOOD - Genetically modified food and feed - European Parliament debate

Report on the Council common position for adopting a European Parliament and Council regulation on genetically modified food and feed

Parliament adopted a draft legislative resolution on genetically modified food and feed, which amends Council's common position. The key amendments adopted by Parliament are as follows:

• with regard to the derogation to the labelling requirements in the case of adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of GMOs, the maximum tolerance threshold will be 0.9% and not 0.5% for each ingredient as Parliament had originally wanted. Lower rates may be set at conciliation.
• measures should be taken to ensure the co-existence of GM production and non-GM production. The technical details of co-existence should be decided by means of the comitology procedure;
• food and feed which can also be used as seed should only be placed on the market if it has been authorised for all these uses;
• as regards emergency measures, the proposal should take up the wording of the provisions laid down in Directive 2001/18 (the GMO Release Directive), thereby enabling Member States to take emergency action themselves (rather than merely informing the EFSA and the Commission) in the event of severe risk.

Parliament also adopted a number of changes aimed at streamlining the procedures relating to applications for initial authorisations and for renewals and interim reports. The common position stipulates that applications for initial authorisations should be submitted to the national competent authority of a Member State but that all applications for renewals and all interim reports should be addressed to the Commission. MEPs point out that this division of responsibilities is contrary to the principles of proper administration and are calling for initial authorisations, renewals and interim reports to be submitted to the competent authority of the Member State where the initial authorisation was applied for.