EP Briefing 2002-07-01: MEPs urge 0.5% threshold for labelling of authorised GMOs (codecision - amendments to draft regulation)

Strasbourg, 25 June 2002

Reporting for the Environment Committee Karin SCHEELE (PES, D) will be presenting a second draft legislative resolution on GMOs focussing on the authorisation and labelling of genetically modified food and feed.

The Commission proposal provides for a threshold above which food or feed accidentally contaminated with non-authorised GMOs must be labelled. However, the committee is against establishing any threshold for non-authorised GMOs, as this would undermine EU legislation on bio-safety. For accidental contamination with authorised GMOs, the committee is proposing an amendment reducing the proposed threshold from 1% to 0.5%.

MEPs are also against any revision of the current Directive 2001/18/EC after the complicated conciliation procedure that took place last year. It was felt that this new regulation should complement it instead. Lastly, amendments on the public's right to information and on the participation of national and local authorities in the authorisation procedure are being proposed.

Karin SCHEELE (PES, A)
Report on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation on genetically modified food and feed
(COM(2001) 425 - C5-0368/2001 - 2001/0173(COD))
Doc.: A5-0225/2002 [may not be available yet]

Procedure: Codecisoin procedure (1st reading)
Debate: 02.07.200

European Parliament Briefing 2002-07-01
http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default en.htm