2005-04-19 | permalink
The EU Commission has published a list of 26 genetically modified products which have been legally on the EU market since before the new legislative framework for authorising GM food and feed had entered into effect. These so-called 'existing products' were either approved under former EU legislation, or did not require approval at the time that they were put on the market</p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/439&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN">EU Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/05/130&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN">EU Commission: Questions & answers on GMO 'existing products' register</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biotechnology/authorisation/register_notification/index.htm">EU Commission: the register notifications</a>
2005-04-16 | permalink
The Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (COPA) today unanimously elected Rudolf Schwarzböck new Presidentfor the period 2005 - 2007. Schwarzböck has been the President of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture, which expressed a distinctly critical position on GMO over the past years</p><p><a href="http://www.copa-cogeca.be/en/pressreleases.asp">COPA Press release in various languages: Rudolf Schwarzböck elected President</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/landwirtschafts_praesidenten_at_07_04.pdf">Letter of Austrian Chamber of Ag on GMO and Seed thresholds to the EU Commission (german olny)</a>
2005-04-12 | permalink
The Italian Constitutional court confirmed the laws in Marche and Puglia, which declare these Regions GMO free</p><p><a href="http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200504122141-1351-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia">AGI: Go ahead for gmo free produce</a>
2005-04-05 | permalink
On March 31st 2005, the Province of Lodskie, in central southern Poland,declared itself a GMO Free Zone.Lodze has a population of 2.5 million and covers an area of 18,220 km2. Thecapitol city is Lodz</p><p><a href="http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/countries/poland/poland.html">overview Poland</a>
2005-04-02 | permalink
At a meeting with the Spanish ministry for agriculture Spanish NGOs and agricultural organisations achieved a re-openig of the discussion about GM co-existence and the withdrawal of the ministry's initial proposal: "The document below was written by a large coalition of Spanish organizations. It describes minimum demands because it was very important to have a huge representation of the civil society. And... it worked! We managed to get the compromise from the minister of agriculture to stop the approval of the very bad Decree on coexistence that would have legalized general genetic contamination of all crops. In a meeting on 30. March the minister told us that the decree needs more time, that they will see how they can incorporate our demands and that there will be dialog with us in the next month for a new draft."<a href="http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/spain/NGOS_on_coexistence_03_2005.pdf">Basic points to be included in the Spanish rules on coexistence between genetically modified, conventional and organic crops</a>
