European Parliament resolution of 6 October 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of genetically modified maize MON 810 (MON-ØØ81Ø-6) products pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (D046169/00 — 2016/2922(RSP))
Date: 2016-10-06
Institutions: Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety, European Parliament
Subjects: animal feedingstuffs, food safety, foodstuff, labelling, maize, market approval, transgenic plant








C_2018215EN.01008001.xml










19.6.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 215/80





P8_TA(2016)0389
Placing on the market of genetically modified maize MON 810 products
European Parliament resolution of 6 October 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of genetically modified maize MON 810 (MON-ØØ81Ø-6) products pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (D046169/00 — 2016/2922(RSP))
(2018/C 215/16)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of genetically modified maize MON 810 (MON-ØØ81Ø-6) products pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (D046169/00,










—


having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed (1), and in particular Articles 11(3) and 23(3) thereof,










—


having regard to Articles 11 and 13 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (2),










—


having regard to the vote held on 8 July 2016 in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health referred to in Article 35 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, with no opinion being delivered,










—


having regard to the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Opinion of 6 December 2012 (3),










—


having regard to its resolution of 16 December 2015 on Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/2279 of 4 December 2015 authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified maize NK603 × T25 (MON-ØØ6Ø3-6 × ACS-ZMØØ3-2) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4),










—


having regard to its resolution of 3 February 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified soybean MON 87705 × MON 89788 (MON-877Ø5-6 × MON-89788-1) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5),










—


having regard to its resolution of 3 February 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified soybean MON 87708 × MON 89788 (MON-877Ø8-9 × MON-89788-1) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6),










—


having regard to its resolution of 3 February 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified soybean FG72 (MST-FGØ72-2) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7),










—


having regard to its resolution of 8 June 2016 on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified maize Bt11 × MIR162 × MIR604 × GA21, and genetically modified maizes combining two or three of the events Bt11, MIR162, MIR604 and GA21, and repealing Decisions 2010/426/EU, 2011/893/EU, 2011/892/EU and 2011/894/EU (8),










—


having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,










—


having regard to Rule 106(2) and (3) of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas on 11 and 18 April 2007, Monsanto Europe S.A. submitted three applications to the Commission, in accordance with Articles 11 and 23 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, for the renewal of the authorisation of existing foods, food ingredients and feed produced from maize MON 810, of the authorisation of feed containing and consisting of maize MON 810 and of the authorisation of maize MON 810 in products consisting of it or containing it for other uses than food and feed, as any other maize, including cultivation; whereas after the date of the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, those products were notified to the Commission pursuant to Article 8(1)(a) and (b) and Article 20(1)(b) of that Regulation and included in the Community Register of genetically modified food and feed;










B.


whereas on 9 March 2016, Monsanto Europe S.A. sent a letter to the Commission requesting that the part of the application concerning cultivation be considered separately from the rest of the application;










C.


whereas the genetically modified MON-ØØ81Ø-6 maize as described in the application expresses the Cry1Ab protein, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, which confers protection against predation by certain lepidopteran insect pests, including the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) and pink borers (Sesamia spp.);










D.


whereas the draft Commission implementing decision was voted on in the Standing Committee on 8 July 2016, with no opinion being delivered;










E.


whereas two major reasons for a negative vote or abstention by the Member States was the lack of long-term feeding and toxicity studies and insufficient risk assessment;










F.


whereas the draft Commission implementing decision was voted on in the Appeal Committee on 15 September 2016 and has again received no opinion, with 12 Member States representing 38,74 % of the EU population voting in favour, 11 Member States representing 18,01 % of the EU population voting against, 4 Member States representing 43,08 % of the EU population abstaining and 1 Member State representing 0,17 % being absent during the vote;










G.


whereas on 22 April 2015 the Commission deplored in the explanatory memorandum to its legislative proposal amending Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, the Commission deplored the fact that since the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 authorisation decisions had been adopted by the Commission, in accordance with the applicable legislation, without the support of opinions of Member State committees and that the return of the dossier to the Commission for the final decision, which was very much the exception for the procedure as a whole, had become the norm for decision-making on genetically modified (GM) food and feed authorisations;










H.


whereas the legislative proposal of 22 April 2015 amending Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 was rejected by Parliament on 28 October 2015 on the grounds that, while cultivation necessarily takes place on a Member State’s territory, GMO trade crosses borders, which means that a national ‘sales and use’ ban proposed by the Commission could be impossible to enforce without reintroducing border checks on imports; whereas Parliament rejected the legislative proposal amending Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and called on the Commission to withdraw its proposal and to submit a new one;












1.


Considers that the draft Commission implementing decision exceeds the implementing powers provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003;












2.


Considers that the draft Commission implementing decision is not consistent with Union law, in that it is not compatible with the objective of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, which is, in accordance with the general principles laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, to provide the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, environment and consumer interests in relation to genetically modified food and feed, whilst ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market;












3.


Calls on the Commission to withdraw its draft implementing decision;












4.


Calls on the Commission to submit a new legislative proposal on the basis of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, amending Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 to take into account frequently expressed national concerns which do not relate only to issues associated with the safety of GMOs for health or the environment;












5.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.






(1)  OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13.

(3)  EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO); Scientific Opinion updating the risk assessment conclusions and risk management recommendations on the genetically modified insect resistant maize MON 810. EFSA Journal 2012; 10(12):3017 [98 pp.], doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2012.3017.

(4)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0456.

(5)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0040.

(6)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0039.

(7)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0038.

(8)  Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0271.