BETA


2018/2873(RSP) Resolution on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize MON 87427 × MON 89034 × 1507 × MON 88017 × 59122, and genetically modified maize combining two, three or four of the single events MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and repealing Decision 2011/366/EU

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ENVI PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa (icon: PPE PPE), BALAS Guillaume (icon: S&D S&D), GERICKE Arne (icon: ECR ECR), MAZURONIS Valentinas (icon: ALDE ALDE), STAES Bart (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), EVI Eleonora (icon: EFDD EFDD) HUITEMA Jan (icon: ALDE ALDE)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 112-p2

Events

2019/03/14
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2018/10/24
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2018/10/24
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2018/10/24
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted, by 403 votes to 179 with 28 abstentions, a resolution objecting to the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize MON 87427 × MON 89034 × 1507 × MON 88017 × 59122, and genetically modified maize combining two, three or four of the single events MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and repealing Decision 2011/366/EU.

The application for marketing authorisation was submitted on 26 November 2013 by Monsanto Europe S.A./N.V. to the national competent Belgian authority, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003.

Two of the maize varieties involved express proteins which confer tolerance to glyphosate herbicides which are classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organisation).

Four of the maize varieties involved express Cry proteins conferring resistance to certain lepidopteran and coleopteran pests respectively.

While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expressed a favourable opinion on the application for authorisation, Member States made many critical comments during the three-month consultation period, highlighting in particular:

poor test designs, missing tests, e.g. as regards nutritional assessment, or the lack of any 90-day feeding study in rodents; missing or insufficient data, e.g. regarding unintended effects associated with the combination of the events, or regarding potential interactions of the eight proteins, which might lead to unintended effects; wrong assumptions by the applicant, e.g. as regards degradation of orally ingested DNA during its passage through the gastrointestinal tract; a partly missing environmental risk assessment, and an insufficient environmental monitoring plan.

Independent research also raises concerns about major gaps in the comparative assessment, serious gaps as regards the missing toxicology assessment, about the inconclusive assessment with regard to allergenicity.

In spite of all of these concerns, EFSA did not consider any post-market monitoring of food/feed derived from genetically modified maize MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and its sub-combinations to be necessary.

On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the draft Commission implementing decision is not consistent with Union law to provide the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, and environmental and consumer interests in relation to genetically modified food and feed, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market.

According to Members, the draft Commission implementing decision runs contrary to the principles of the general food law , as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, to approve varieties for which no safety data have been provided, which have not even been tested, or which have not even been created yet.

Parliament therefore called on the Commission to withdraw its draft implementing decision .

On the procedural note , Members recalled that since the current GMO authorisation procedure entered into force, authorisation decisions have been adopted by the Commission without the support of the Member States’ committee opinion and that the return of the dossier to the Commission for final decision , which is very much the exception for the procedure as a whole, has become the norm for decision-making on genetically modified food and feed authorisations.

Parliament called on the Commission to suspend any implementing decision regarding applications for authorisation of genetically modified organisms until the authorisation procedure has been revised in such a way so as to address the shortcomings of the current procedure, which has proven inadequate.

Documents
2018/10/24
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2018/10/01
   EP - PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/10/01
   EP - BALAS Guillaume (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/10/01
   EP - GERICKE Arne (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/10/01
   EP - MAZURONIS Valentinas (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/10/01
   EP - STAES Bart (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/10/01
   EP - EVI Eleonora (EFDD) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI

Documents

Activities

Votes

B8-0491/2018 - Résolution 24/10/2018 13:38:48.000 #

2018/10/24 Outcome: +: 403, -: 179, 0: 28
IT FR PL AT EL HU PT BG DE SE LV ES SI DK CY MT GB LT NL SK BE EE FI LU HR ?? IE CZ RO
Total
55
66
42
18
15
13
18
14
75
18
6
47
7
5
5
5
55
9
23
11
20
4
12
4
9
1
8
17
26
icon: S&D S&D
149

Greece S&D

1

Hungary S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Denmark S&D

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Malta S&D

3

Netherlands S&D

3

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Czechia S&D

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
48

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Hungary Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
42

Italy GUE/NGL

2

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

2

Czechia GUE/NGL

2
icon: ENF ENF
30

Poland ENF

Against (1)

1

Germany ENF

For (1)

1

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
34

Poland EFDD

1

Germany EFDD

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Czechia EFDD

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
61

Italy ECR

2

Greece ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

1

Sweden ECR

2

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

3
2

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Czechia ECR

2

Romania ECR

2
icon: NI NI
15

France NI

For (1)

1

Poland NI

Against (1)

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Denmark NI

1

United Kingdom NI

Against (2)

Abstain (1)

3

NI

For (1)

1

Romania NI

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
54

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Bulgaria ALDE

For (1)

3

Germany ALDE

2

Sweden ALDE

2

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom ALDE

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

3

Estonia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Finland ALDE

3

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Romania ALDE

Against (1)

3
icon: PPE PPE
175
2

Slovenia PPE

Against (1)

4

Cyprus PPE

1

United Kingdom PPE

2

Lithuania PPE

1
5

Belgium PPE

Against (1)

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Finland PPE

3

Luxembourg PPE

2

Croatia PPE

For (1)

4

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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ENVI
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Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
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  • date: 2018-10-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2018-0491&language=EN title: B8-0491/2018 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2019-03-14T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=31719&j=0&l=en title: SP(2019)4 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2018-10-24T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=31719&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2018-10-24T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2018-0417 title: T8-0417/2018 summary: The European Parliament adopted, by 403 votes to 179 with 28 abstentions, a resolution objecting to the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize MON 87427 × MON 89034 × 1507 × MON 88017 × 59122, and genetically modified maize combining two, three or four of the single events MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and repealing Decision 2011/366/EU. The application for marketing authorisation was submitted on 26 November 2013 by Monsanto Europe S.A./N.V. to the national competent Belgian authority, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003. Two of the maize varieties involved express proteins which confer tolerance to glyphosate herbicides which are classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organisation). Four of the maize varieties involved express Cry proteins conferring resistance to certain lepidopteran and coleopteran pests respectively. While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expressed a favourable opinion on the application for authorisation, Member States made many critical comments during the three-month consultation period, highlighting in particular: poor test designs, missing tests, e.g. as regards nutritional assessment, or the lack of any 90-day feeding study in rodents; missing or insufficient data, e.g. regarding unintended effects associated with the combination of the events, or regarding potential interactions of the eight proteins, which might lead to unintended effects; wrong assumptions by the applicant, e.g. as regards degradation of orally ingested DNA during its passage through the gastrointestinal tract; a partly missing environmental risk assessment, and an insufficient environmental monitoring plan. Independent research also raises concerns about major gaps in the comparative assessment, serious gaps as regards the missing toxicology assessment, about the inconclusive assessment with regard to allergenicity. In spite of all of these concerns, EFSA did not consider any post-market monitoring of food/feed derived from genetically modified maize MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and its sub-combinations to be necessary. On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the draft Commission implementing decision is not consistent with Union law to provide the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, and environmental and consumer interests in relation to genetically modified food and feed, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market. According to Members, the draft Commission implementing decision runs contrary to the principles of the general food law , as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, to approve varieties for which no safety data have been provided, which have not even been tested, or which have not even been created yet. Parliament therefore called on the Commission to withdraw its draft implementing decision . On the procedural note , Members recalled that since the current GMO authorisation procedure entered into force, authorisation decisions have been adopted by the Commission without the support of the Member States’ committee opinion and that the return of the dossier to the Commission for final decision , which is very much the exception for the procedure as a whole, has become the norm for decision-making on genetically modified food and feed authorisations. Parliament called on the Commission to suspend any implementing decision regarding applications for authorisation of genetically modified organisms until the authorisation procedure has been revised in such a way so as to address the shortcomings of the current procedure, which has proven inadequate.
  • date: 2018-10-24T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/environment_en title: Environment commissioner: VELLA Karmenu
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
ENVI/8/14718
New
  • ENVI/8/14718
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 112-p2
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 106-p2
procedure/subject
Old
  • 3.10.09.06 Agro-genetics, GMOs
New
3.10.09.06
Agro-genetics, GMOs
procedure/title
Old
GMO maize: Objection pursuant to Rule 106
New
Resolution on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize MON 87427 × MON 89034 × 1507 × MON 88017 × 59122, and genetically modified maize combining two, three or four of the single events MON 87427, MON 89034, 1507, MON 88017 and 59122 and repealing Decision 2011/366/EU
activities
  • date: 2018-10-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2018-0417 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0417/2018 body: EP type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
committees
  • body: EP shadows: group: ALDE name: HUITEMA Jan responsible: True committee: ENVI date: 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 2018-10-01T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: EPP name: PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa group: S&D name: BALAS Guillaume group: ECR name: GERICKE Arne group: ALDE name: MAZURONIS Valentinas group: GUE/NGL name: BOYLAN Lynn group: Verts/ALE name: STAES Bart group: EFD name: EVI Eleonora
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/environment_en title: Environment commissioner: VELLA Karmenu
procedure
dossier_of_the_committee
ENVI/8/14718
reference
2018/2873(RSP)
title
GMO maize: Objection pursuant to Rule 106
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure EP 106-p2
stage_reached
Procedure completed
subtype
Resolution on implementing act or powers
type
RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
subject
3.10.09.06 Agro-genetics, GMOs