| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning |
| Series Title | In Focus |
| Series Details | 25.6.03 |
| Publication Date | 25/06/2003 |
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus |
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President George W Bush has stepped up pressure on the EU to lift its ban on genetically modified (GM) crops ahead of an EU-US Summit to be held on 25 June 2003. In a speech at an annual biotechnology conference in Washington on 23 June 2003, President Bush told delegates that many European governments had banned GM crops on the basis of 'unfounded, unscientific fears' and that this had discouraged African nations from investing in biotechnology amidst concerns that their products would not sell in important European markets. President Bush's comments have fuelled the simmering row between the United States and the European Union over GM crops, which is threatening to become the most important trade dispute between the two parties. On 19 June 2003, the United States Trade Representative announced that it would formally launch a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge to the EU moratorium on approvals of new biotechnology products on the basis that it violates the WTO agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which requires 'sufficient scientific evidence' for regulations aimed at protecting human health and the environment. Richard Mills, assistant US trade representative said:
However the European Union disputes the claims that it is acting illegally, arguing that the EU's regulatory system for GMO's authorisation is in line with WTO rules. Responding to the US challenge at the WTO, Pascal Lamy, the European Commissioner for Trade, said:
EU officials have reacted similarly to President Bush's comments, claiming that they are 'simply not true' and that it is wrong to suggest the EU is anti-biotechnology or anti-developing countries. Indeed, some officials have questioned whether President Bush's remarks were more targeted at promoting America's growing biotechnology industry than with raising concerns about the famine situation in Africa. One European Commission official told the Financial Times that the EU had a 'much better record than the US' in providing development aid with the EU's figure more than seven times that of the US. However, US pressure on the EU over the ban on GM crops and food may have been strengthened by a study, also published on 23 June 2003, into the economic impact of genetically modified crops. The study, funded by the US biotechnology industry organisation and two biotech companies (Monsanto and Syngenta), is investigating the effects that 15 GM crops would have on European agriculture. The results for the first three case studies for insect-resistant maize, herbicide-tolerant sugarbeet and fungus- resistant potato suggest that annual yields could be increased by 7.8bn kg, pesticide consumption reduced by 9.7m kg and farm income increased by €1.05bn. Such results, which would give farmers the options of either increasing overall production or farming less intensively or putting land to other uses, may force the EU to reconsider its position on GM crops. Helen Bower Compiled: Wednesday, 25 June 2003 Keywords: GMOs |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
