European Union describes new rules for scientific assessment and political approval of transgenic crops and foods derived from transgenic organisms, or "GMO's". A three-page statement from David Byrne, EU Minister for Health and Consumer Protection, is available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/biotech/biotech07_en.pdf Byrne states that the EU's Treaty of Amsterdam establishes the consumer's right to know basic information about food, including whether the food is genetically modified (Note: all domesticated crops are modified genetically, but what the Europeans really mean is "transgenic." Many people know use the European "genetically modified" to mean only transgenic). The EU's original rules regulating transgenic or biotech crops date back to 1990. But the EU has since 1998 placed a de facto moratorium on further review of new biotech varieties. The new rules, scheduled to go into effect on October 17, 2002, put in a two-part review system: one part safety, one part politics. The first is a review of safety by a panel of EU scientists from the European Food Authority who will "make sure that GMOS do not present any risk to public health or to the environment." Bryne repeats that the scientific review of GMOs is "to make sure they are no risk to public health, the health of animals or to the environment." This appears to be a claim that scientists can prove a negative. Just how a scientific review can provide an absolute assurance of "no risk" is not clear, nor is it clear why a government official would issue such unachievable assurances. If the new variety passes the safety review, it moves on to the political phase. As Byrne says, "Then it is up to the Commission and representatives of each of the fifteen Governments in the EU to decide on allowing its use and under what particular conditions." It is not clear yet on what general principles, if any, such decisions will be made, and what implications such approaches have for compliance with global trade agreements such as WTO. Once approved, foods derived from biotech crops must be segregated and labeled. The EU is still working to decide what level of "adventitious presence" -unintended mixing-of biotech grain with non-biotech grain will be permitted. One proposal calls for no more than 1%. The EU has posted a question-and-answer sheet on the new regulations at
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/health_consumer/library/press/press171_en.pdf