New EU rules fail to halt fall in GM research
Environment Daily 1722, 09/09/04

Agricultural crop biotechnology research has continued to suffer in Europe despite agreement of revised rules on "deliberate release" of genetically modified (GM) organisms, according to a European Commission report.

Reviewing early experience with the directive, the report notes that in most EU-15 countries there was "steep decline" in notifications of GM crop field trials even after its entry into force in 2001.

Field trials that have been carried out so far apparently "show that nothing unusual has been observed and/or there is nothing to suggest any risks". But the report adds that countries are nonetheless discouraged from planting GMOs by fears of the possible "malicious destruction" of crops by anti-biotech activists.

Slow progress towards agreement on other GM issues - such as labelling (ED 22/10/03
http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=article&ref=15362&searchtext=gm+labelling&searchtype=all),
seed thresholds (ED 08/09/03
http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=article&ref=17212)
and coexistence (ED 24/07/03
http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=article&ref=14883).

- could also, suggests the report, have contributed to national reluctance to experiment with biotechnology, as could a probable "weakening of the European research base in this area".

Eight of the EU15 have still not fully transposed the deliberate release directive into national law - or have not sent details of their transposition measures to Brussels - despite court action taken by the Commission last year (ED 15/07/03
http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=article&ref=14842).
However, all of the new member states apart from Latvia and the Czech Republic have now met transposition obligations.

Follow-up: European Commission http://europa.eu.int/comm, tel: +32 2 299 1111
plus report
http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/04/st12/st12113.en04.pdf and
annex
http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/04/st12/st12113-ad01.en04.pdf