"The green light to the directive is a very significant step towards a long-awaited goal: the full sovereignty of member states to allow, or not, the cultivation of GMOs on their territories. The fruitful cooperation of the Italian presidency with the European Parliament and the Commission has led to a coherent and fair text that provides a sound legal basis, ensuring member states' freedom of choice on GMOs," said the President of the Council, Italian Minister of the Environment Gian Luca Galletti, as quoted in the Council's press release.
The new legislation will allow the EU member states to ban or restrict GMO cultivation on a number of grounds, including environmental and agricultural policy objectives, town and country planning, socio-economic impacts and public policy, while under the existing rules such a ban may only be issued if the countries "have new evidence that the organism concerned constitutes a risk to human health or the environment or in the case of an emergency." EU member states will also be able to review their decision and ask for their territory or its parts to be reintegrated into the area authorized for GMO cultivation.
