PM Fico: Slovakia to Sue European Commission over Deregulation of GMO

Bratislava/Nitra, 2 September (TASR) - Slovakia will sue the European Commission (EC) at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over the approved deregulation of new genetically modified organisms (GMO), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said this after the government's session held in Nitra on Wednesday. The regulation, by which genetically modified plants obtained using new genomic techniques (NGTs) have been exempted from the existing GMO regulation, was approved by the EU in June of this year. "This regulation sparked major protests because it essentially said that 'everything is fine' and that we have nothing to worry about. There's no evidence for this, and we don't know what it could do to people," stated Fico. "We've decided to file a lawsuit against this regulation," he added. In an appeal addressed to Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD), the adopted regulation was rejected by several organisations including members of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), former ministers, as well as the Slovak Beekeepers Association, Greenpeace Slovakia, the Slovak Hunting Association, the civic initiative 'My sme les', the Slovak Association of Bakers, Confectioners and Pasta Makers, and others. According to the signatories of the appeal, the new regulation runs counter to the EU's precautionary principle and consumer rights, as well as certain international agreements. jrg/mcs