The European Commission's regulatory committee for genetically modified (GM) crops has failed to agree on whether to approve two maize (corn) crops for cultivation — 1507, jointly developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Dow AgroSciences, and Syngenta's Bt-11.
The committee, which met on 25 February and might have ended Europe's decade-long hiatus on approvals, now passes the responsibility for making a decision to Europe's environment ministers, who must make a decision within 90 days of the committee meeting (see _Nature_ 457, 946–947; 2009). Currently, MON801 maize is the only GM crop approved for cultivation at the European level, although it is banned in France, Greece, Austria and Hungary. On 2 March, European Union environment ministers voted against the commission's request to overturn the bans in Austria and Hungary.
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Europe delays decision on GM crop approvals. Nature 458, 20 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/458020e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/458020e
