Europese Commissie mag GGO-vervuiling niet heimelijk legaliseren

• 2004-09-06

De Groene fractie waarschuwt de Europese Commissie ervoor niet nog snel-snel een drempel voor GGO's in maïs en koolzaad goed te keuren.

Outgoing Commission accused of 'legitimising GMOs by stealth'

Green/EFA MEPs have expressed outrage at apparent attempts by the outgoing EU Commission to 'legitimise GM contamination by stealth'.

On Wednesday the outgoing Prodi Commission will consider a proposal to establish a threshold of 0.3% for unlabelled GM seed contamination of maize and oilseed rape. This would effectively open the door to new cross-contamination and blatantly flouts the principle of co-existence between GM and non-GM crops backed by the European Parliament, and introduced by the Green/EFA Group.

MEPs from the Greens/EFA Group today called on the Commission to respect the democratic will of parliament which reflects massive public opposition across Europe to GM crops.

UK Green MEP Caroline Lucas, said:

"The outgoing Commission will find it difficult to claim any legitimacy in trying to push through these proposals during its twighlight hours. This plan not only flies in the face of public opinion, it also runs contrary to democratic will repeatedly expressed by the European Parliament. "

"If adopted, this proposal would effectively flout existing agreements on co-existence between GM and non-GM crops and will lead to confusion in the farming industry making it ever more difficult to secure a GM-free food chain. I urge the Commission to come to its senses and respect the will of Parliament."

Jill Evans MEP (Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales) added:

"Not only does this Commission proposal ignore public opinion, I believe that it also contradicts existing EU rules on traceability of GM crops and is an attempt to legitimise GMOs by stealth."

"We have consistently opposed moves that would make it more difficult for consumers to choose a GM free lifestyle, now we see that the Commission's pro-GM stance remains undiminished. I know that our Group in Parliament will do all it can to stop this, I call on the Commission to bring forward new proposals that strike a more mutually acceptable balance."