EU: Ireland's presidency of the European Union has been handed a politically-charged dossier in the shape of a proposal to approve a strain of genetically-modified maize.
The European Commission yesterday adopted the proposal formally. It must now be considered within three months by the Council of Ministers under the chairmanship of Ireland.
The proposal is highly controversial since, if approved, it would bring to an end the unofficial moratorium on GMO approvals which has lasted since October 1998. Ireland's European Commissioner, Mr David Byrne, who has responsibility for health and consumer protection, has described the moratorium as legally unsustainable.
Mr Byrne and his fellow commissioners yesterday issued a statement on the state of play on legislation governing GMOs. The Commission has been hoping that the new legislation put in place over the last two years will provide sufficient reassurance to national governments to allow approval of GMOs to resume.
The US, Canada and Argentina launched a complaint last summer at the World Trade Organisation against the moratorium.
But the case of the genetically- modified sweetcorn BT11 suggests that the national governments are still deeply divided and that the presidency is unlikely to be able to bring the moratorium to an end, as the Commission would wish.
Theoretically, BT11's use as food could have been authorised by the EU's regulatory committee, made up of officials from the 15 member-states. But at that committee, only Ireland, the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Finland and Sweden voted in favour of authorisation. France, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg voted against, while Italy, Belgium and Germany abstained.
So the matter was referred to the Commission, which has now made its proposal to the council.
A spokesman for the Irish presidency said it was not yet decided which Council of Ministers - environment or agriculture - would consider the proposal.
Approval would need a majority in favour of the proposal when votes are weighted to take account of population. Disapproval would likewise require a weighted majority. If the result was inconclusive and there was no weighted majority either way, the matter would be referred back to the Commission for decision.