2005-10-11 | permalink
At a Greenpeace press conference in Bucharest, Monsanto's former general manager in Romania warned that Romanian authorities have totally lost control over genetically modified organisms in the country. GM soybeans were grown on much larger areas than registered, but also unapproved GMOs such as potatoes and even plums were found.</p><p><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1010-01.htm">Greenpeace: Genetically Engineered Organisms Out of Control in Romania</a>
2005-10-06 | permalink
Consumer, environmental and health organisations challenged the European Food Safety Authority to put public and environmental safety before commercial interests as the agency opens its first stakeholder dialogue at its new office in Parma, Italy.The organisations urge EFSA to make serious changes in its work and procedures, in particular regarding genetically modified crops and food. So far the central EU agency has rubber-stamped all GM crop approvals and dismissed concerns of NGOs, scientists and national safety authorities.</p><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2005/joint_06_Oct_EFSA.htm">Joint Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/stakeholder_stakeholder_consultative_platform/consultative_platform/catindex_en.html">EFSA: Stakeholder consultative platform</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2005/EFSA_stakeholders_challenge.pdf">GP. FOE, Euro-Coop, EEB, EPHA: Detailed EFSA challenge</a>
2005-10-05 | permalink
The European Court of Justice today rejected a general GMO prohibition law of the Region of Upper Austria. Upper Austria wanted a total ban on cultivating genetically modified crops to protect conventional and organic crops, as well as wildlife, from potential contamination. In 2003 the EU Commission refused, arguing Austria had presented no new scientific evidence to support such a ban, and could not opt out of EU-wide rules of GMO risk assessment and approval. The Austrian complaint against the Commissions verdict has now been rejected by the Court. The government of the Region announced it would find other means to stay GMO free.</p><a href="http://curia.eu.int/jurisp/cgi-bin/gettext.pl?where=&lang=en&num=79948994T19040235&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET">ECJ: Judgement Upper Austria vs. EU Commission</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/ECJ_Upper_austria_06_10_2005.pdf">SOS update on Upper Austrian case against the EU Commission</a><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2005/HH_05_Oct_ECJ.htm">Friends of the Earth: Commission urged to review EU law</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/03/1194&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">Commission decision 2 September 2003</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/news/nachrichten/2005_10_05_archiv.html#112850513825464652">more details in German</a>
2005-09-26 | permalink
On the 9th of September 2005 the Assembly of Marshals of the Polish Provinces (*) accepted a statement concerning the planting of genetically modified plants (GMO) in Poland. "The Polish Government should prepare a motion to the European Commission to ban the import of genetically modified products in all areas of the country," the regional representatives conclude.</p><p><a href="http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/countries/poland/poland.html">full story</a>
2005-09-21 | permalink
A dialogue-meeting between the GMO free Network of the regional and local Autorities of Europe and the EU Commissions DG AGRI will be held on the subject of coexistence of genetically modified crops with traditional and organic farming in Brussels on September 28th at the Central Italian Region's bureau in Brussels.Further information: riccardo.russu@arsia.toscana.it
