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	View Edit Domain: GreenBio Title: * Body: BRUSSELS - European Union governments have signalled their strong opposition to proposals allowing member states to decide whether to grow or ban genetically modified (GM) crops, a Belgian EU presidency source said on Thursday.<br /> <br /> The bloc's executive, the European Commission, tabled proposals earlier this month giving governments the freedom to choose whether or not to grow GM crops. To pass, the plans must first be approved by EU governments and lawmakers.<br /> <br /> The move was seen as an attempt by the Commission to break a longstanding deadlock in EU GM approvals, which has seen just two products authorised for cultivation in Europe, restricting commercial plantings to less than 100,000 hectares.<br /> <br /> Several EU governments have already criticised the proposals, and last week German Chancellor Angela Merkel attacked the plans as a first step towards dismantling the bloc's single market.<br /> <br /> A first meeting of EU government officials to discuss the proposals in Brussels on Tuesday confirmed the widespread opposition to the plans.<br /> <br /> "There is huge opposition against the proposals by member states, for several different reasons," the Belgian presidency source told Reuters.<br /> <br /> Some officials agreed with Merkel's view that the proposals would undermine the bloc's internal market, and others said they would leave the EU and its member states open to challenges in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a second EU source in the meeting said.<br /> <br /> On Wednesday, Washington's<br /> most senior trade official said the proposals were unlikely to conform with "internationally accepted scientific standards" on GM crops, suggesting that the U.S. could be prepared to challenge them if adopted by the EU.<br /> <br /> <strong> FOOD CHAIN FEARS</strong><br /> <br /> Last week, European industry associations representing the entire food chain expressed their "deep concern" at the Commission's proposals in a letter sent to the Belgian presidency, the Commission and EU lawmakers.<br /> <br /> "The new approach on GM cultivation sets a dangerous legal precedent, jeopardizing the internal market for authorised products," the letter seen by Reuters said.<br /> <br /> Letting member states decide on GM crops will create new legal and commercial risks for operators, added the letter, which was signed by EU farm group Copa-Cogeca, food and drink industry confederation CIAA, and biotech lobby EuropaBio, among others.<br /> <br /> EU government ambassadors will meet in Brussels to discuss the proposals on September 3, when they are expected to create a special working group of member state environment and agriculture experts to lead talks on the plans.<br /> <br /> EU agriculture ministers will then debate the proposals in Brussels at the end of September, followed by environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg in mid-October. <br /> <br /> © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters<br /> Captcha: Please Enter Code : * Time Zone: * Select the time zone Vocabularies Newsletter: Domain: Show summary in full view Input format Filtered HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Full HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. news_filter Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. More information about formatting options			Related Articles Commission publishes report on socio-economic aspects of GMO... Calls for European rethink on GM crops Approvals of GMOs in the European Union US worried as EU frees member states to impose GM crops ban U.S. farmers urge sanctions against EU's GM crop ban New attempt to make progress on GM crops 13 million farmers around the world can't be wrong Commentary: Oil and water - together again Peru relaxes GM rules for now EU states can ban GM crops for public order: draft Top GreenBio Articles

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