Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-14-Speech-3-130"
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"en.20010214.4.3-130"2
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"We shall vote against the report that Mr Bowe presented on behalf of the Conciliation Committee, since the revision of Directive 90/200 on deliberate release of GMOs has not met its anticipated objectives. Yet, with regard to a question that is so fundamentally important to our citizens, the European Parliament should have reached agreement on all the issues that were raised and on the simultaneous implementation of all the measures which safeguard the precautionary principle.
Admittedly, some progress has been made on the previous directive (such as exemptions for pharmaceutical products and renewal of authorisation). However, we would not want to accept a directive that did not ensure traceability, labelling or the responsibility of producers.
How can we contemplate releasing GMOs if manufacturers do not accept their full liability and if we do not have a directive which regulates the issue of traceability and labelling of GMOs. The Commission has made known its intention to table draft directives – but when will these be approved? What provisions will they lay down? We cannot vote on the release of GMOs without these guarantees.
We should bear in mind the consequences of the BSE crisis, the precautionary principle, our standards regarding food safety and inevitable risks of spreading disease to other crops, in addition to the effects on human health. At any rate, five Member States have already stated their determination to retain a strict ban on putting GMOs on the market in the future, even if the revision of the directive should be approved, and I would like to congratulate them.
This draft directive constitutes more of a threat because of what it omits rather than what it contains. During the conciliation procedure, the European Parliament did, however, insist on clear labelling and traceability rules for GMOs, which are essential for consumers who can only take a decision about whether to buy products containing GMOs if these products are properly labelled. This then really is a fool’s bargain. It is more important for the precautionary principle to take precedence over the commercial interests of various multinational companies and that the protection of European consumers is the only aspect that we take into account."@en1
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