Resolution on the draft Commission implementing decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified maize GA21 (MON-ØØØ21-9)

The European Parliament adopted by 450 votes to 200, with 35 abstentions, a resolution objecting to the draft Commission implementing decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified maize GA21 (MONØØØ21-9) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on genetically modified food and feed.

On 6 October 2016, Syngenta France SAS submitted to the Commission, on behalf of Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Switzerland, an application for the renewal of the marketing authorisation of products containing genetically modified maize GA21.

Many critical comments were submitted by Member States during the three-month consultation period, both with regard to EFSA 2007 and EFSA 2017. They criticised the fact that further information was needed before conclusions could be drawn as regards the risk assessment of maize GA21, that data supporting a history of safe use was not provided, that the monitoring reports for maize GA21 for the authorisation period had fundamental shortcomings and that the monitoring approach implemented was not fully in line with Directive 2001/18/EC.

Parliament recalled that maize GA21 has been developed to provide tolerance to glyphosate by expressing a modified version of the EPSPS protein. However, questions concerning the carcinogenicity of glyphosate remain. In 2015, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans.

The Commission has repeatedly deplored the fact that since the current authorisation procedure for GMOs entered into force, every authorisation decision has been taken by the Commission without the support of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. Thus, the return of the dossier to the Commission for a final decision, which should have been an exception, has become the norm in the decision-making process on genetically modified food and feed authorisations.

On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the Commission implementing decision is not compatible with Union law which provides the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, the environment and consumer interests, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market.

Parliament therefore called on the Commission to:

• withdraw its draft implementing decision;
• suspend any implementing decisions regarding applications for authorisation of GMOs until the authorisation procedure has been revised in such a way as to address the shortcomings of the current procedure;
• uphold its commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, by suspending all imports of glyphosate-tolerant GM plants;
• refuse to authorise any herbicide-tolerant GM plants without full assessment of the residues from spraying with complementary herbicides and their commercial formulations as applied in the countries of cultivation;
• fully integrate the risk assessment of the application of complementary herbicides and their residues into the risk assessment of herbicidetolerant GM plants, regardless of whether the GM plant concerned is to be cultivated in the Union or for import into the Union for food and feed. 

Parliament reiterated its commitment to advancing work on the Commission proposal amending Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 in order to ensure that, if no opinion is delivered by the Food Chain and Animal Health Standing Committee with respect to GMO approvals, whether for cultivation or for food and feed, the Commission will withdraw the proposal. It called on the Council to move forward with its work on the same Commission proposal as a matter of urgency.