Success: EU Commission failed to force European countries to lift their safety measures on GM Food

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On 29 November, the European Commission has tried (and failed) to force Europe to accept genetically modified (GM) food.
>>	See agenda for 29 November. Then explore the proposals against national safeguard measures (cf. bans) in: Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg.
>>	FoE Europe's public info briefing on the national bans + français
>>	More about the US-led attempt to force Europe to accept GMOs
>>	More about genetically modified organisms (GMO)

On 29 November, the European Commission tried to force EU member states to lift existing safeguard measures on genetically modified food and crops. Almost 10,000 protest emails were sent to national governments following FoE Europe's call to action. In the EU meeting in Brussels on 29 November, the Comission's proposals were defeated.

Many thanks to all of you who sent an email or letter to your Environment Minister recently. The votes in the EU Regulatory Committee on Monday went very well and the Commissions attempts to get member states to lift their
bans on genetically modified foods were seriously defeated. Well done to you all!

The Commission will now probably send the same proposals to a Council of Environment Ministers meeting, possibly in March. We will inform you as soon as we hear so we can keep the pressure up and ensure that our right to say no to GM foods remains, despite the pressure from the World Trade Organisation and the US Government.

Here's how YOUR country voted in the meeting on 29 November, whereas

= keep bans
= lift bans
= abstentions


Country where ban in place	Austria	Austria	Luxemb'g Austria Germany	Greece France	France
banned GMO:	Maize T25	Maize MON 810	Maize Bt 176	Oilseed rape T19/2	Oils'd rape MS1Bn
Belgium
Czech
Denmark
Germany
Estonia
Greece
Spain
France
Ireland
Italy
Cyprus
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Hungary
Malta
Netherlands
Austria
Poland
Portugal
Slovenia
Slovakia
Finland
Sweden
UK

Total *	54	73	54	54	54
Total *	178	178	221	178	178
Total *	89	70	46	89	89
	*Note that different countries have different numbers of votes.

Press Release

>>	29.11.04 Europe votes to keep GM crops bans