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Exposed - Europe's inconsistent approach to GMOs
Leaked documents reveal EU arguments at the WTO

Brussels, 24 February 2005 - Leaked documents obtained by Friends of the Earth reveal that the Commission is admitting to significant and legitimate scientific concerns about the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods and crops. The environment campaign group accuses the European Commission of putting the health of the public and the environment at risk from its inconsistent policy by forcing new GM products onto the European market despite these concerns.

A 118 paged document, due for publication tomorrow, has been leaked to Friends of the Earth. (1) The documents, which form part of Europe's defence in the trans-Atlantic trade dispute in the World Trade Organisation are already the basis of a complaint to the European Ombudsman following the Commissions refusal to release them last July. (2)

The documents reveal that the European Commission admits that:

* The science on GMOs is constantly evolving and that "new risk considerations sometimes arise spontaneously and change the scope of the risk assessment"

* Concerns about antibiotic resistant genes and secondary effects on beneficial insects are "legitimate scientific concerns"

* Member states should be able to determine their own level of protection.

However, since the trade dispute started in 2003, the European Commission has forced two new GM products onto the market and has also pressurised member states to drop their national bans of various GM foods and crops. The EC depends heavily on the opinions of EC scientific committees, such as the much-criticised European Food Safety Authority, although it admits in the leaked document that "the opinions of the EC scientific committees do not overrule other scientific opinions".

The leaked document also shows the Commission accusing the United States government of being ignorant and that they "deliberately selects what it knows to be a narrow presentation of the issues".

Adrian Bebb, GM campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said:
"These documents reveal that the European Commission is deliberately putting the health of the public and the environment at risk. While it acknowledges behind closed doors that there are legitimate safety concerns over genetically modified foods and crops, it is pushing products onto the European market and trying to force countries to drop their bans. These double standards are dangerous and also damage its credibility with the people they are supposed to protect - the European public."

CONTACT
Adrian Bebb: mobile +49 1609 490 1163

Notes

1. The Document is Europe's second submission to the WTO and can be downloaded from:
http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/download/Second_EU_Submission_to_WTO.pdf

2. http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/Ombudsman/index.htm

 

Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.