GMO authorisation

19.9.2013

Question for written answer E-010726-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Britta Reimers (ALDE)

The EU’s GMO authorisation system takes significantly longer than those of the major GM commodity exporting countries in the Americas with equally rigorous risk assessments in place. This gap is increasing and is quickly becoming a major challenge for trade. The Commission’s website and several Commission-funded reports point out that the EU’s system could be more efficient without compromising high safety standards. The Commission admitted in June 2012 that it regularly fails to comply with legal timelines when it comes to GM authorisations (reply to parliamentary Question E-004184/2012). The Commission has a clear legal obligation to put GMOs with a positive EFSA opinion to the ‘comitology’ vote by Member States within three months. This legally prescribed timeline seems to be generally followed in other comitology areas, but not when it comes to GMOs.

1. Does the Commission agree that its failure to act represents a threat to trade in agricultural commodities?

2. How are these undue and unnecessary delays compatible, in the Commission’s view, with the EU’s WTO commitments?

3. Will the Commission from now on respect its legal obligations to put GM products with a positive EFSA opinion to the vote at a standing committee meeting within three months?

4. Has the situation improved since June 2012?

5. What steps will the Commission take to ensure that the legal obligations regarding these timelines are fulfilled in the future?

OJ C 206, 02/07/2014