www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

Austria may escape another order to lift its two bans on genetically
modified (GMO) maize varieties as EU ministers prepare to deliver a second
rebuff to the European Commission, officials said , December 2006 by Jeremy
Smith.

Between 1997 and 2000, five EU countries banned specific GMOs on their
territory, focusing on three maize and two rapeseed types that were approved
shortly before the start of the EU's six-year moratorium on new biotech
authorisations.

Last June the Commission, the EU's executive arm, tried to get all the bans
scrapped. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has also attacked these
so-called national safeguards for breaking international trade rules.

But EU environment ministers rejected proposals for the five states --
Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg -- to remove their
restrictions.

Austria is the only country whose GMO bans refer to products still actively
marketed. In the other cases, the companies manufacturing the particular GMO
products that were the subject of the original bans have withdawn them from
the market.

Austria has banned two GMO maize varieties, one in 1997 and the other in
1999. The first ban was against MON 810 maize made by U.S. biotech giant
Monsanto (MON.N) and the second against T25 maize made by German drugs and
chemicals group Bayer (BAYG.DE).

On Monday EU environment ministers will debate a draft Commission order for
Austria to lift the bans.

Observers say the order is meant to demonstrate to the complainants in the
WTO case -- Argentina, Canada and the United States -- that the Commission
is taking action to facilitate more GMO authorisations.

Rejection expected

The Commission's problem is that the EU-25 is unlikely to endorse that draft
order next week. Privately, Commission officials say a rejection is more
likely.

To force Austria to lift its bans, the Commission will need to secure a
weighted majority of EU ministers in favour of its draft orders. There can
also be a weighted majority against, when the Commission would withdraw the
orders and reconsider.

While the positions of nearly all the 25 countries are already known, three
states are wavering -- Germany, Portugal and Spain. Under the EU's complex
weighted voting system, Germany and Spain carry a lot of influence.

But they are still not expected to vote in favour, so the vote's outcome is
almost certain to amount to a rejection of the Commission order.

"It's a question of how close it comes to a rejection," one Commission
official said.

www.checkbiotech.org

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