Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-023"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020924.2.2-023"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I am pleased to speak on this report on the transboundary movement of GMOs in which the Committee on the Environment has adopted a more stringent and more comprehensive position than that proposed by the Commission, following the lead given by the rapporteur. I would like to add to what colleagues have said in thanking him for his work. I also welcome the fact that the Committee on the Environment expanded the regulation to cover food and feed which have been produced from or with the aid of GMOs, as well as GMOs intended for contained use.
The report shows that whilst the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a good basic framework for regulating the transboundary movement of GMOs, this is a minimum, a base line from which parties can and should be proactive in aiming for ever higher standards of control to meet the demands of the consumer. This includes, as many colleagues have already mentioned, the right of freedom of choice. We are only too aware of the recent examples of food aid to developing countries being cynically used to force GM food on people, to promote GM food and to force countries that have declared themselves GM-free to accept GM grain. This includes countries such as Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe which have all taken a stand against the untested and unproven nature of GMOs and it is totally unacceptable that these are being forced upon them by countries such as the United States.
The European Union, in cases such as this, buys local non-GM food, adhering to the principles and the rules of the recipient countries in a manner in keeping with the ethos of the Cartagena Protocol. On the other hand, in the past two years Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Ecuador have all been forced to accept GM food aid even though this was contrary to their national regulations.
I welcome the committee's report which clearly allows for countries to take more proactive steps to ensure international biosafety. It is an important step forward in the whole GM debate and the report has my full support."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples