Reports from the European Commission evaluating the EU legislative framework on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and GMO food and feed note that the legislation is generally on track, but recommend numerous areas for improvement, such as further harmonization of risk assessment, reinforcement of monitoring and addressing low level presence of unapproved GMOs.
28 October 2011: The European Commission (EC) has published two commissioned reports evaluating the EU’s legislative framework on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and on GMO food and feed. The reports register general support among the public for the EU legislative framework, but call for better implementation of existing legislation.
The reports are part of an ongoing review of EU GMO legislation launched in 2009. The reports aimed to collect facts and opinions, particularly from stakeholders and competent authorities, and to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the system and the need for adjustments.
Both reports conclude that there is general support for the legislation’s main objectives, including the protection of health and the environment, but also point to necessary adjustments to increase overall efficiency. Such adjustments include: the need to further harmonize risk assessment processes; the need for more flexibility on GMO cultivation; compilation of technical information on the socio-economic implications of GMO cultivation; reinforcement of monitoring activities; assessment of new plant breeding techniques; and addressing the technical problem of low level presence of unauthorized GMOs. [Publication: Evaluation of the EU Legislative Framework in the Field of Cultivation of GMOs] [Publication: Evaluation of the EU Legislative Framework in the Field of GM Food and Feed] [EC Press Release]