Recently environment ministers across Europe voted to reject the EU Commission´s proposals to lift bans by member states on GM foods.  Such bans are now in force in Austria, Luxembourg, France, Greece and Germany.

The EU Commission had proposed that the ban would be lifted within 20 days, a proposal seen as a result of massive pressure from the US government which (together with Argentina and Canada) took the issue to the WTO claiming that the ban constituted a barrier to trade.

The Ministers´ decision respects the right of member states to ban GM crops if there questions remain about their safety. The decision also respects public concerns, as 70% of Europeans are opposed to GM foods.

A Friends of the Earth press release also points out that this decision indicates diminishing credibility of the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) which claimed that the national bans had no scientific basis. Numerous voluntary public organisations have levied criticism at the EFSA for being biased in favour of the biotech industry.