Old GMOs threaten new Europe

Greenpeace today called on the governments of EU accession countries to ban genetically modified organisms (GMO), approved back in the 1990s, for commercial planting in the EU, to protect their unique ecosystems.

GMOs have never been planted commercially in the new member states. However, as of 1 May, the existing EU-wide authorisations for three varieties of genetically modified maize will automatically extend to the new EU territories.

This is despite the fact that the original scientific risk assessments did not take into account unique ecosystems such as the Pannonian region and the Carpathian basin which are located in parts of Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Given the high risk of environmental damage caused by GMOs and the irreversibility of their release into nature, we have called on the governments of the new member states to immediately invoke national bans and initiate a reassessment procedure to take their ecosystems into account. Austria, France, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany already have national bans in place for specific GMOs.

Out of date assessments

"The old environmental risk assessments did not take into account our unique and fragile regions. Until new risk assessments are carried out, commercial planting of GMOs should be banned," argued Noemi Nemes our campaigner in Hungary.

Another reason to stop these GMOs entering this market is they were approved in 1996, under now outdated EU legislation. "The risk assessment requirements were improved in 2001. New EU members should not be forced to accept GMOs authorised under risk assessments which did not take into account cumulative, long-term effects on human health and the environment," said Eric Gall from our European Unit in Brussels.

"The original EU approvals run out in 2006, after which new, EU-wide risk assessments must be carried out. This is yet another reason why the new member states should not admit these GMOs into their ecosystems."

More information:

- Read our brief on Why reassessment is needed in EU accession countries

- Check out what is happening in your country

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