European Parliament passes GMO bill

The European Parliament on Wednesday voted 338-52, with 85 abstentions, to endorse new regulations on the production and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The bill could lead to a lifting of the European Union's three-year moratorium on approvals of new GMOs. The legislation, which amends Directive 90/220/EEC on the deliberate release of GMOs to the environment, will go into effect if it is endorsed by the European Council of Ministers. The legislation mandates the establishment of clear procedures for the approval of new GMOs, including risk assessments, and requires public disclosure of details about GMO trials, including the location of test plots. In addition, the location of fields containing GMO products that have been approved for marketing would have to be made public.

Under the legislation, the use of antibiotic resistance markers would be phased out by Dec. 31, 2004 for GMOs placed on the market as products and by Dec. 31, 2008 for GMOs released experimentally. The European Parliament agreed to drop provisions on labeling and traceability of GMOs in exchange for a commitment from the European Commission to bring forward a proposal on these issues before the end of 2001. Six European Union member states -- Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Austria and Luxembourg -- stated Wednesday that they will not approve any GMOs until labeling and traceability procedures are in place. ...