Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
other member-states, consent is given to the placing on the EU market
by the CA of the member state that had received the application.
If any of the member-states raises an objection, the European Com-
mission submits to a Regulatory Committee, composed of government
representatives of the member states, a proposal for a Commission deci-
sion. If the Regulatory Committee fails to deliver an opinion, the Com-
mission forwards its proposal to the EU Council of Ministers. If the
Council does not deliver an opinion within three months, the Commis-
sion is authorized to adopt its proposed decision. The Commission may
also ask its Scientific Committees for their scientific opinion.
AuthorizationsunderDirective90/220/EEC
The first permits for the placing on the EU market of GM plants to
be used in food and feed production were granted to Monsanto for
its herbicide-tolerant soybean in April 1996 and to Syngenta (then:
Ciba-Geigy) for its insect-tolerant maize Bt176 in January 1997. Further
authorizations in accordance with Directive 90/220/EEC for cultivation
or import of three GM rapeseed and three other GM maize lines fol-
lowed during 1997 and 1998 (see Table 1).
In all cases the CA's initial assessment reports and the consulted Sci-
entific Committees came to the conclusion that the GM plant is as safe
as the conventional counterpart, but objections to the placing on the
market were raised by other member-states. In the case of Bt176 maize,
the Commission adopted its proposed decision after both the Regulatory
Committee and the Council had failed to provide an opinion. All other
authorizations granted in accordance with Directive 90/220/EEC were
based on Commission decisions in accordance with the opinions of its
Scientific Committee on Plants.
NationalSafeguardMeasures
Directive 90/220/EEC contained a so-called safeguard clause providing
that where any member-state has justifiable reasons to consider that a
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