Munich

No hiding place: new rules could open the way for transgenic tests of crops such as oilseed rape (above). Credit: CORBIS

In a bid to end the impasse that has effectively prevented transgenic crops from being grown on European farms, the European Union (EU) has adopted tighter rules for their use.

The biotechnology industry welcomed the new rules, which it hopes will eventually lead to the acceptance of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe. Environmental groups were more circumspect, indicating that they would accept the rules as long as the ban on the technology was maintained.

But in a move that highlights the limits of the EU's jurisdiction, six states issued a statement saying they would keep the ban in place.

Following last week's ruling by the governing council, the 15 EU member states have 18 months to implement the rules. In the meantime, the present de facto moratorium on the commercial planting of new transgenic crop varieties is likely to continue.

Under the new rules, suppliers of transgenic crop seeds must carry out strict assessments of environmental risk before the seeds can be licensed for use. If approved, the GM plants must be continually monitored for their environmental and health effects.

Local authorities and the public will be informed about which farms are growing the plants. Details of the experimental use of GM plants will also be made public. The plants will initially be approved for use for a maximum period of ten years, after which a renewed application must be made.

The directive also addresses concerns that GM organisms may spread resistance to antibiotics. Organisms containing antibiotic-resistance genes, widely used as genetic markers, must be phased out by 2004 for GM plants put on the market and by 2008 for GM organisms used experimentally.

The directive was adopted after being approved last week by the European Parliament. But the nations behind the de facto moratorium — France, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Austria and Luxemburg — reaffirmed their intention to block GM crops altogether.

The six states called for extra rules on the traceability and labelling of GM products, and they also want the commission to set up a system concerning environmental liability to supplement the existing regulatory framework for plant biotechnology.

The industry gave the directive a cautious welcome, despite its rigour. “It will provide the necessary transparency to restore public confidence in the safety of GM products,” says Simon Barber, director of the plant biotechnology unit at EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries. “This is an important step towards the end of the moratorium and it will hopefully enable us eventually to sell our products in Europe.”

“We understand the demand from society for greater rigour,” says Barber. But he warns that over-regulation of plant biotechnology could hinder innovation and put plant geneticists in Europe at a competitive disadvantage.

The moratorium has held up 14 applications for the commercial cultivation of GM plants, including maize and oilseed rape varieties developed by Aventis Crop Science, Syngenta and Plant Genetic Systems.

The environmental group Greenpeace called the directive “a massive improvement” on existing regulations. But a spokesman for the group said that it would not justify lifting the moratorium.