2005-06-30 | permalink
The city and region of Vienna has adopted June 29th a regional law on GMO planting and co-existence, which prohibits any GM planting without expressed consent of the regional government and enables the government to establish stringent requirements for such an approval. Vienna also decided to join the network of GMO free regional governments in Europe.</p><p><a href=""></a>
2005-06-29 | permalink
The Croatian Government passed a new law on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) that replaced the previous provisions regarding biotechnology in the Law on Protection of Nature as a new separate piece of legislation. The Food Law remains as the main law for regulating biotech food and feed.</p><p><a href="http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200506/146130111.doc">US GAIN report: New croatian GMO law</a>
2005-06-27 | permalink
At a EU Committee of the Regions hearing on GMOs and co-existence agricultural commissioner Marianne Fischer Boel announced a new network of EU member state authorities on co-existence. She also insisted that no general, yet maybe specific bans of GM growing were justified at regional level.Representatives of the Regional governments, the EU Parliament and Economic and Social Affairs Committee insisted on the protection of non-GM farming and production and the right of the regions to ban GMOs to this end. Proponents of GMO introduction from science, industry and the German state of Sachsen-Anhalt claimed that co-existence was feasible and called for laxer rules.</p><p><a href="http://www.cor.eu.int/en/press/press_05_06065.html">Committee of the Regions: Press Releases</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:164:SOM:EN:HTML">Commission decision on co-existence network in the Official Journal (p 50)</a>
2005-06-26 | permalink
In a major blow to the European Commissions efforts to overcome the deadlock on GMO planting in Europe, the Council of EU environment ministers has rejected with qualified (2/3rd) majority a proposal to lift 8 national bans on previously EU approved GMOs. The ministers also rejected the approval of Monsanto's GM maize Mon863, but missed the qualified majority on this decision.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-06-24T134447Z_01_N24176694_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-EU-GMO-DC.XML">Reuters: EU ministers uphold sovereign right to ban GMOs</a></p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-06-30T123235Z_01_L30559352_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-EU-GMO-DC.XML">Reuters: Biotech crop policy in EU gets rethink after rebuff</a><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24193532.htm">Reuters: EU ministers rebuff plans to overturn GMO bans</a></p><p><a href="http://eu.greenpeace.org/downloads/gmo/PREnvCouncil050624.pdf">Greenpeace: Commission defeated in string of GMO votes</a></p><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24232121.htm">Reuters: Chronology of EU moves on gene crops and foods</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/FOE_PR_EU_bans_240605.pdf">Friends of the Earth: EU ministers vote to keep GM foods ban</a></p><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24694224.htm">Reuters: EU's legal labyrinth of GMO legislation</a></p><p><a href="http://www.syngenta.com/en/news/050624_bt176.aspx">Syngenta: Statement on EU Member States decision not to lift GM bans</a>
2005-06-24 | permalink
Britain should develop more of the controversial plants, the experts said. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council based its recommendations on the results of a five-year, 4.5 million study into the safety of GM crops.</p><p><a href="http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/19487902">Evening Standard: GM crops get all-clear</a>
