Policies restricting the future funding of Bulgarian science (Nature 469, 131–132 and Nature 142–143; 2011) could have implications for the European Union's research landscape.

Take the contentious issue of genetically modified (GM) organisms. Attempts by the Bulgarian government to amend its laws on GM organisms to comply with EU regulations met with strong opposition in the media. However, the government was unable to garner support and advice from the scientific community, which had previously been alienated by government actions.

As a result, in March 2010, the Bulgarian parliament succumbed to media pressure and imposed severely restrictive amendments on its laws on GM organisms, banning all biotechnology research. It is now forbidden to grow GM plants for trials or commercial cultivation near nature reserves, apiaries or fields of organic produce, or to introduce genetic modifications into tobacco, vines, roses, wheat or any fruit or vegetable crops.

These bans are enforced by fines of between €250,000 (US$340,000) and €500,000 for a first offence, and doubled thereafter. But they are not scientifically justifiable: there is no evidence that transgenic technology is inherently riskier than any other, a matter investigated by the EU over 20 years at a cost of more than €300 million. The restrictions are apparently acceptable in Bulgaria, however, because science has been publicly discredited (seemingly for short-sighted political purposes).

I therefore appeal to the entire scientific community, not just Bulgaria's, to defend and promote the scientific arguments needed to guide important policy decisions and underpin research proposals.