GM Watch
  • Main Menu
    • Home
    • News
      • Newsletter subscription
      • News Reviews
      • News Languages
        • Notícias em Português
        • Nieuws in het Nederlands
        • Nachrichten in Deutsch
      • Archive
    • Articles
      • GM Myth Makers
      • GM Reports
      • GM Quotes
      • GM Myths
      • Non-GM successes
      • GM Firms
        • Monsanto: a history
        • Monsanto: resources
        • Bayer: a history
        • Bayer: resources
    • Videos
      • Latest Videos
      • Must see videos
      • Agriculture videos
      • Labeling videos
      • Animals videos
      • Corporations videos
      • Corporate takeover videos
      • Contamination videos
      • Latin America videos
      • India videos
      • Asia videos
      • Food safety videos
      • Songs videos
      • Protests videos
      • Biofuel myths videos
      • Index of GM crops and foods
      • Index of speakers
      • Health Effects
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donations
News and comment on genetically modified foods and their associated pesticides    
  • News
    • Newsletter subscription
    • News Reviews
    • News Languages
      • Notícias em Português
      • Nieuws in het Nederlands
      • Nachrichten in Deutsch
    • Archive
      • 2022 articles
  • Articles
    • GM Myth Makers
    • GM Reports
    • GM Quotes
    • GM Myths
    • Non-GM successes
    • GM Firms
      • Monsanto: a history
      • Monsanto: resources
      • Bayer: a history
      • Bayer: resources
  • Donations
  • Videos
    • Index of speakers
    • Glyphosate Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • Must see videos
    • Health Effects
    • Agriculture videos
    • Labeling videos
    • Animals videos
    • Corporations videos
    • Corporate takeover videos
    • Contamination videos
    • Latin America videos
    • India videos
    • Asia videos
    • Food safety videos
    • Songs videos
    • Protests videos
    • Biofuel myths videos
    • Index of GM crops and foods
  • Contact
  • About

GMWatch Facebook cornfield banner

INTRODUCTION TO GM

GMO Myths and Facts front page.jpg

SCIENCE SUPPORTS REGULATION OF GENE EDITING

Plant tissue cultures

GENE EDITING: UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES AND RISKS

Damaged DNA on fire

GENE EDITING MYTHS AND REALITY

A guide through the smokescreen

Gene Editing Myths and Reality

ON-TARGET EFFECTS OF GENE EDITING

Damaged DNA

1st 'Citizens' Initiative' to call for GM crop freeze

  • Print
  • Email
Details
Published: 06 October 2010
Twitter
First 'Citizens' Initiative' to call for GM crop freeze
EurActiv, 6 October 2010
http://www.euractiv.com/en/cap/first-citizens-initiative-call-gm-crop-freeze-news-498524

The petition for a Europe free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has hit the one million signatories target and will be handed to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, campaigners have announced.

The petition calling for a moratorium on all new GM crop production in Europe until a proper safety regime has been put in place was launched in March 2010.

Spearheaded by Greenpeace, the initiative follows the authorisation by the Commission of a BASF antibiotic-resistant GM potato that month the bloc's first GM cultivation approval in 12 years.

According to Greenpeace, one million signatures from across every country in the EU were collected by 28 September and "signatures continue to pour in from across Europe".

Commission President Barroso will be informed of the petition results today (6 October) and the organisers hope to arrange a "personal handover of the petition and signatures in the coming weeks".

The petition is the first to be presented under the 'Citizens' Initiative', a principle enshrined in the EU's Lisbon Treaty since December 2009. The idea is to allow citizens to directly participate in the EU legislative process.

Once an initiative has attracted one million signatures from citizens who are nationals of a significant number of EU member states, the Commission, as a college, is obliged to give serious consideration to the request.

Organisers stressed that the Commission cannot ignore public rejection of GM crops and urged the EU executive "to act swiftly" to address the concerns of European citizens, EU governments and independent scientists.

Commission will study initiative carefully

Even though the EU regulation setting up the Citizens' Initiative is still passing through the EU's lawmaking machinery and is yet to be finalised, the petition calling for a GM freeze can be given full consideration, the Commission said.

A Commission spokesman told EurActiv that once the EU executive has received the official request, it will have to go through an "admissibility test". As the initiative is the first of its kind, it will be studied particularly carefully, the spokesperson added.

Once the admissibility test is passed and the request has been approved as an official Citizens' Initiative which the Commission believes will be the case the EU executive has four months to formulate its response.

Menu

Home

Subscriptions

News Archive

News Reviews

Videos

Articles

GM Myth Makers

GM Reports

GM Myths

GM Quotes

Non-GM Successes

Contacts

Contact Us

About

Facebook

Twitter

Donations

Content 1999 - 2023 GMWatch.
Web Development By SCS Web Design