Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Council Press Release, 3 March 2014
The following is an extract from the Environment Council meeting:
The Council held a public exchange of views on the draft regulation amending directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation, in all or part of their territory, of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have been authorised at EU level.
The exchange of views confirmed the member states' willingness to re-open discussions on this legislative proposal on the basis of the presidency compromise text. The Hellenic presidency will convene a first working party meeting to examine the proposal on 13 March 2014. The presidency aims to reach a political agreement and prepare the adoption of this important legislation by the end of 2014.
The Commission presented the GMO cultivation proposal in July 2010 [see 13 July 2010] with the aim of providing for a legal basis to allow member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory on grounds other than health and environmental considerations, which had already been addressed during the EU authorisation process for GMOs. The proposal has already been examined during several presidencies. The Environment Council of 9 March 2012 was not able to reach a political agreement as a blocking minority of delegations still had concerns regarding some issues [see 9 March 2012].
See also previous news item: 10 February 2014 GMOs - Commission calls on Council to agree on its proposal to grant Member States more subsidiarity on GMO cultivation
