EU Enlargement – The Introduction of GMO’s by the Backdoor of EU Accession?

Agricultural Policies

Paper

EU Enlargement – The Introduction of GMO’s by the Backdoor of EU Accession?

Report prepared for ANPED, The Northern Alliance for Sustainability & Friends of the Earth Europe (2003)

In June 2004, 10 new Member States are due to join the European Union (EU), eight of which are in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). By this time, all EU legislation pertaining to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used in food and agriculture will need to have been transposed and implemented. This report provides an overview of the main laws of the European Union (EU) pertaining to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), used in food and agriculture. The fast speed of commercialisation of genetically modified seeds and food and the unforeseen consumer rejection of GM food in the EU, has resulted in continuous revisions of existing EU laws and a plethora of proposed new legislation. Despite the dynamic nature of EU policy on GMOs, one thing is clear: the EU is moving towards more transparent and increasingly restrictive laws regulating GMOs. Given that EU laws on GMOs lack any provisions for EU enlargement, this report attempts to address the following questions: - What are the implications of EU enlargement on agriculture and food policy in Accession countries? - What are the implications of EU enlargement on GMO policy and legislation in the EU? EU enlargement poses potential threats of weakening GMO policy both in EU and in accession countries. The EU could use the accession process for weakening its policy on GMOs. For example, GMOs that have not been approved in the EU, but are found in accession countries could receive post factum approval. From the other side, the European Commission may attempt to weaken any provisions in the laws of the new members that go further than those in the EU. There is already a case in Hungary, when in harmonising with the EU's revised deliberate release directive 2001/18, Hungary extended the period of validity of product approvals from 5 to 10 years.

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