Deutsche Presse Agentur | July 22, 2003
European Union policymakers are unrepentant: the bloc's recently-approved rules on the strict labelling of genetically modified (GM) food and crops will go into effect next year, they say, regardless of what America thinks.
"We cannot have unrestricted trade in products which Europeans fear could be bad for their health," says a senior E.U. official, adding: "These are things that Europeans care about."
The U.S. and other trading nations tired of Europe's restrictive biotech policies would just have to learn to live with "our GM syndrome," he said.
Europeans' tough words are backed up by equally tough policies.
The 15-nation bloc imposed a de facto moratorium on approving and marketing GM products in 1998, provoking anger and frustration in Washington.
In what officials hoped would ease relations with the U.S., the European Parliament this month effectively lifted the ban - but on condition that all GM products are clearly labelled and their content traceable through the production chain.
Supermarkets will be obliged to identify any product with more than 0.9 per cent of biotech material with the words: "This product is produced from GMOs."
The E.U. insists its precautionary stance is in the interest of millions of wary European consumers who want no truck with "Frankenfood" - food created in laboratory like the monster Frankenstein
But with several hundred million dollars of U.S. exports at stake, Washington says the E.U. restrictions are based on unfounded and unscientific fears.
The quarrel is getting fiercer. Having clearly lost patience with the E.U., U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick formally complained to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in May this year at Europe's repeated refusal to accept GM products. Canada and Australia have joined the U.S. action.
The E.U. moratorium on GM products was spreading fears in developing countries that could most benefit from higher-yield GM products, Zoellick complained.
Sticking the knife in deeper, President George W. Bush insisted that African nations were not planting GM crops because they feared their exports would be barred from European markets.
E.U. officials have warned Americans not to spread misinformation about Europe's stance. "We do not need to be lectured on humanitarian priorities," said European Parliament President Pat Cox, noting that the E.U. gives three times more aid to Africa than the U.S.
"It is false that we are anti-bio-technology and anti-developing countries," Commission spokesman Gerassimos Thomas told reporters.
The new rules approved by the Parliament earlier this month have done little to ease transatlantic tensions over the issue.
The U.S. has said the new laws continue to represent an unfair trade barrier, warning also that mandatory labelling will be too costly for exporters.
E.U. officials say they have warned officials in Washington not to mount another WTO action against Europe because they stand little chance of winning such a lawsuit.
"Our regime complies with the WTO," said an official.
While Americans get angrier, European environmental groups say the new labeling rules will help protect European consumers against U.S. "bullying" to accept biotech foods.
"This is a historic victory for consumers," Greenpeace insisted, hailing E.U. "resistance" to America"s campaign to ease or abolish rules restricting GM utilisation in Europe.
"This vote is a slap in the face of the U.S. Administration," Greenpeace said.
"The E.U. has now adopted progressive legislation which facilitates the market's desire to identify and exclude ingredients, the environmental lobby group said.
The new E.U. regulation requires producers and business operators to clearly label GM products and provide details of the so-called "traceability" of GM organisms so that consumers can track down the use of biotech products from farm to table.
Supermarkets will be obliged to identify any product with more than 0.9 per cent of biotech material to clearly label the item as containing GM organisms.
"This should gave consumers greater confidence that the safety of GM products will be independently assessed by the European Food Safety Authority," said E.U. consumer affairs Commissioner David Byrne.
But for America, the transatlantic biotech war is far from over.Deutsche Presse Agentur:
