Written answers
Tuesday, 17 October 2006
Department of Agriculture and Food
Genetically Modified Organisms
7:00 pm
Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has seen the final report of the World Trade Organisation Disputes Panel on the claims by the US, Argentina and Canada that the de facto moratorium on the approval of genetically modified products within the EU constituted an economic barrier to trade; if she has seen the final report, her views on same; if she will provide this Deputy with this report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32873/06]
Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that I have just recently received the final report of the World Trade Organisation Disputes Panel on the claims by the US, Argentina and Canada that the de facto moratorium on the approval of genetically modified products within the EU constituted an economic barrier to trade.
The report was distributed to the public on 29 September last and is now available on the internet at http://www.wto.org/english/news
From my initial examination of the Report I do not have any difficulty with the critique presented by the EU Commission which stated that:
the WTO Panel ruling does not affect the EU legislation and policy on GMOs;
despite the claims of the complainants, the violation findings made by the Report are mostly limited to procedural obligations; for example, alleged undue delays in processing some applications for approval of GMOs in the past;
since the WTO Panel was established in 2003, 10 authorisation decisions have been adopted. More than 30 applications are currently being examined. This confirms that the EU system for GM approval authorisations is functioning in application of EU law; and
the EU is currently reflecting on the next steps at the WTO level on the basis of a careful analysis of the final panel report.
I look forward to this more detailed analysis which is now being prepared by the Commission.
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