Yesterday evening (Dec. 3), European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis welcomed a provisional political agreement on GMO cultivation in the European Union.
“I am glad to announce that the European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional political agreement on the draft legislation on GMO cultivation. The proposal, will give member states the possibility to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs on their territory, without affecting the EU risk assessment,” Andriukaitis says.
The agreement, if confirmed, would meet member states’ consistent calls since 2009, to have the final say on whether or not GMOs can be cultivated on their territory, in order to better take into account their national context and the views of their citizens.
“I fully trust that this agreement in principle will be formally endorsed in the coming weeks by the European Parliament and Council, allowing member states to start exercising their extended capacities to decide on GMO cultivation as from spring 2015,” he says.
