EU GM Crop Regulation: A Road to Resolution or a Regulatory Roundabout?
European Journal of Risk Regulation, Vol. 4, p. 359, 2010
11 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2011
Date Written: January 4, 2011
Abstract
Since first embarking on the road of risk management options for the regulation of recombinant DNA (rDNA) activities and use in 1978, the European Union (EU) has largely failed to create a regulatory and policy environment regarding genetically modified (GM) crops and their cultivation that is (a) efficient, (b) predicable, (c) accountable, (d) durable or (e) interjurisdictionally aligned. Recent proposed regulatory changes announced by the European Union Commission (July 13, 2010) aim to allow member states to enact restrictive measures on cultivation of GM crops based on broadly scoped non-scientific criteria1. In light of the European Union Commission’s proposal, this paper reviews the EU’s past efforts to effectively regulate GM crops, critically assesses the impacts of the new regulatory proposals, and examines some of the key outstanding issues with the current EU regulatory framework that will need to be considered as the EU moves forward into its next phase of GM crop governance.
Keywords: gm crops, plant biotechnology, transgenic, regulations, EU
JEL Classification: L18, L5, N5, O38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation