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

EU leaders stressed the need for more information and experience before
further legislation can be passed on genetically-modified organisms, at the
end of a two-day conference on GMOs in Vienna, April 2006.

"We should have clear, legal, common regulations (on GMOs) in Europe,"
Austrian Agriculture Minister Josef Proell said at the closing press
conference, but added, "It is too early to sketch the legal framework for
common legislation."

The conference, entitled "Freedom of Choice," brought together politicians,
scientists, as well as farmers and food producers, to discuss the issue of
co-existence, referring to the problems involved in growing both GM and
non-GM crops in Europe.

"We are still at an early stage of development of co-existence rules, we
have only limited experience with cultivation of GM crops in Europe," said
Dirk Ahner, the deputy director-general for agriculture and rural
development at the European Commission, explaining why an exchange of
information was needed.

More investigations needed before EU is satisfied

"To get out the maximum of the limited knowledge we have it is vital that we
share information, research and best practice," he said.

Proell added that the conference was only the first step and the exchange of
information would continue. Another conference on GMO policy is to be held
in Vienna on April 18-19.

"We're still far from the end of the road," he said. "We need to... identify
together where the problems lie and how they could possibly be addressed,
only then can one really think about legislation," Ahner said.

Politicians at the conference were keen to stress that the issue of
co-existence was not about the ethics or safety of GMOs but they agreed
European farmers had the right to choose whether or not to produce GM crops.

Risk of contamination without legislation of use

Without specific legislation however, there is a risk non-GM or organic
crops could be contaminated and while the EU says that would have no effect
on human health or the environment -- GMOs can only be grown after they have
been authorized by the union -- they could have economic consequences for
farmers of GM-free crops.

Spain is the only EU country to grow GM crops on a commercial scale,
although other countries such as the Czech Republic, France, Germany and
Portugal also cultivate them on a smaller scale.

Several regions have declared themselves GM-free and specific co-existence
legislation exists in Denmark, Germany, Portugal and six Austrian provinces
but regulations differ throughout the European Union.

[www.dw-world.de]

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