EU Food and feed chain partners rejected today the European Commissions’ latest proposal which attempts to renationalize EU market authorisations of genetically modified crops for feed and food use.
Ensuring that current legislation is properly implemented should have been the main priority of the Commission instead of trying to change the present market authorisation procedure.
Speaking on behalf of EU Food and Feed Chain partners, Pekka Pesonen, Copa-Cogeca Secretary General warned the European Commission about the adverse economic and social impact of this proposal which was released today. “It will seriously threaten the Internal Market for food and feed products, causing substantial job losses and lower investment in the agri-food chain in “opt-out” countries. This would cause serious distortions of competition for all EU agri-food chain partners”, he stressed.
The EU food and feed chain partners urge the EU Parliament and Council to reject the Commission’s proposal which amounts to renationalisation and would reverse the economic achievements of the European Customs Union and the Single Market.
It is the principal political, administrative and legal responsibility of EU policy makers to defend and properly implement EU internal market and related legislation. With the renationalisation of genetically modified authorisations and consequent restrictions on the free movement and use of products within the internal market, the Commission has failed in its role and responsibility as “Guardian of the EU treaties”. Today’s announced initiative also strongly calls into question the EU’s own political priorities on “jobs and growth” and on the “better and smart regulation agenda”.
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Ana ASCENÇÃO E SILVA | Manager Communications
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