Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 1/23/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** HR4002

HR4002

**Croatia**

**Biotechnology**

**Green Action Anti-GMO Activities**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Sarah Hanson

U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Andreja Misir

**Report Highlights:**

This report explains the anti-biotech campaign and activities of the
Croatian NGO - Green Action (Zelena Akcija -- ZA). The report describes
the line of thinking of Croatia's anti-biotech activists and the
majority of Croatians.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Vienna \[AU1\]

\[HR\]

Zelena Akcija -- (ZA) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization
registered in 1990 and based in Zagreb. They are a member of Friends of
the Earth (as of 2000) and a partner of WWF (from 2001) in implementing
their programs in Croatia.

**Anti-Biotech Activities:**

\"BLJAK\" ( Campagn Against GMO\'s ) - Campaign BLJAK \'99 started in
the summer 1999 and was based on \"consumers\' right to know\". The
culmination of the BLJAK \'99 campaign was an \"occupation\" of the
entrance to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, where they chained
the door and glued protest letters with demands on them. The campaign
received much media coverage both in daily papers and on television. It
was done on a national scale through a network of the Green Forum.
During 1999, they managed to put the issue on the political agenda and
in the media. The direct result of the campaign was that field trials of
biotech corn were destroyed and forbidden, and that all major political
parties in Croatia adopted the position of an effective moratorium on
all tests until a law is adopted. In 2000, a report on the state of GMOs
in Croatia was published by Iza Kruszewska, International Coordinator
ANPED, Northern Alliance for Sustainability, and with ANPED the campaign
continued into autumn 2000 and spring 2001 with lectures, round tables,
street demonstration and concerts throughout Croatia. In 2002, they
organized a farmers tour where American farmers spoke directly to
Croatian farmers against biotech products.

**Latest Anti-biotech Activities:**

***Zagreb, 13.December, 2003-* The campaign, called \"Bite back: WTO
hands off our food!\"** **-** A giant inflatable tomato toured Zagreb as
part of an international campaign for awareness and public participation
in the current trade dispute between the United States and EU over
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

In this way ZA appealed to citizens of Croatia and the world to make
their own legal submission to the WTO demanding their right to decide
what they eat and to protect their environment.

***Zagreb, 11th November, 2003*** ***-* A Regional Food Industry
Conference entitled \"How can we avoid the use of GMOs in seed, food and
feed?\"** organised by Green Action, Green Network of Vojvodina and
Umanotera from Slovenia was held in Zagreb and gathered over 60 experts
from all over Europe.

The opening began with a welcome speech by the Deputy of Minister of
Agriculture and Forestry, Miroslav Bozic, who then handed the program
over to the President of Green Action, Jagoda Munic. Ms. Munic clarified
the aims of the conference: to outline the existing GMO legislation in
the region and the European Union and its implications for the food
industry; to learn from the experiences of producers in EU countries in
meeting the standards required by the new EU legislation; to show the
issues arising in implementing traceability systems in practice, as well
as the costs of implementation; and finally to present initiatives to
create GMO-free zones in Europe, especially the Austrian example.

***Zagreb, 3rd October 2003*-** The latest updated black/white list of
food manufacturers in Croatia relating to their position towards
genetically modified organisms has been completed. Green Action
expresses its gratitude to citizens and companies for their support
during the compilation of the black/white list.

***Zagreb, 1st October 2003.*** **-** To mark the passing of the new
Environmental Protection Law**,** Green Action called on consumers to
boycott products which contain genetically modified organisms
(GMOs)**,** and farmers to boycott GMO seed which would, in practice,
result in Croatia becoming a GMO free zone (see HR 3019 for details)

Details can be found at:

http://www.zelena-akcija.hr/eng/index.html