On 15 July, the European Commission decided to apply to the Court of Justice of the European Community to challenge France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Austria and Finland for not having adapted their national legislation to implement EU law on the deliberate introduction of Gmos into the environment. The 11 member states cited have not fulfilled their obligations by the deadline of 17 October 2002, agreed for the adaptation and notification of national legislation. The Eu law reinforces the previous legislation and was adopted to guarantee a safe and gradual approach to the introduction of Gmos into the environment. New regulations: the passage of the new European legislation on Gmo is proceeding apace. At the beginning of the month, the European Parliament gave the go ahead to the entry into force of two Regulations aimed at regulating the labeling and traceability of food products. If a product contains Gmo in a percentage higher than 0.9% (“accidental threshold”), there will the double obligation to mention on its label and to identify by means of special codes the type of genetic modification it has undergone. The adoption of the regulations, expected after the summer, will put an end to the moratorium. Next steps: during the Council of agriculture ministers scheduled to be held in Brussels on 22/23 July, the Italian Presidency and the Commission will present the guidelines for the co-existence between Gmo crops and so-called “Gmo-free” crops. The objective is to guarantee freedom of choice to consumers and producers. There is a further obligation on farmers to avoid risks of environmental contamination, given the fact that wind-borne transgenetic seeds may germinate anywhere.
