By Brian Johnson - 3rd March 2006
Environment ministers will reopen discussions on Europe’s controversial GM approvals system when they gather in Brussels next Thursday.
EU ministers are set to hold a public debate on EU GM policy after current presidency holders Austria, tabled a set of key questions for discussion.
Vienna is querying current risk assessment and comitology procedures used to authorise GM products for use in the EU.
A number of member states, including Austria, have doubts about the risk assessment procedures used by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
“Austria believes that the EFSA doesn’t take sufficient account of the views of national food safety authorities during the GM approvals process,” said a commission official.
And the Austrian presidency wants to take another look at the much criticised practice of allowing the European commission to approve GM products when member states fail to reach a qualified majority.
EU capitals consistently fail to reach a qualified majority agreement on new GM crop approvals, leaving the European commission to rubber stamp authorisations through a default ‘comitology’ procedure.
The European commission announced on Friday that it had authorised a genetically modified maize, 1507 to be placed on the EU market for food use.
The authorisation followed the inability of national ministers in December to reach agreement on either approving or rejecting the maize, despite clearance by the EFSA last March.
It is this procedure that Austrian agriculture and environment minister, Joseph Proell, called “far from ideal”, last month.
Proell would like to see a simple majority procedure introduce for GM approvals or rejections.
But disagreement among member states on GMs means this is unlikely to happen.
EU governments are split on GM, with Austria leading a group of member states including Greece and Luxembourg who vehemently oppose GM crops.
But movement on a change to the risk assessment procedures is more likely, according to a commission official.
The EFSA’s management board is currently reviewing its procedures in the wake of a recent report.
New risk assessment procedures that take more account of national concerns, could be enough to mollify some member states into changing their position on GM.
“The question of risk assessment is an important one for the commission,” said the official.
Changes to the EFSA’s procedures could make GMs more acceptable to member states.”
Ministers will also discuss climate change, focussing on new targets post 2012, when the Kyoto targets expire.
Austria, which is finding meeting its current targets difficult, is expected to put forward proposals that exclude specific post 2012 figures.
But a number of member states are set to call for strong targets for CO2 reduction, including reductions of 15-20 per cent by 2020 and 60-80 per cent by 2050.
Brussels environment chief, Stavros Dimas will also brief ministers about an EU wide climate change awareness raising campaign.
Environment ministers will also take part in a policy debate with commission vice president Gunter Verheugen, on the new Euro 5 standards for car emissions.
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