BETA


2019/2523(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 87403 (MON-874Ø3-1)

Progress: Procedure completed

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

Events

2019/07/03
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2019/01/31
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2019/01/31
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2019/01/31
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 391 votes to 204, with 47 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 87403 (MON-874Ø3-1) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The application for marketing authorisation was submitted to the competent authority of Belgium on 26 June 2015 by Monsanto Europe SA/NV on behalf of Monsanto, USA.

Comments from the Parliament and the Member States

The competent authorities of the Member States made many critical observations during the three-month consultation period following the publication of the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in March 2018. In particular, they argued that it was not possible conclude on the safety of the long-term reproductive or developmental effects of the whole food and/or feed, that the applicant’s proposal for an environmental monitoring plan does not meet the defined objectives and, crucially, that the evidence provided was not considered sufficient to reassure consumers of the safety of GM maize MON 87403.

Underlining that the potential risks of this genetically modified maize to human and animal health and the environment have not been properly addressed by EFSA's Scientific Panel on GMOs, Parliament considered it unacceptable that the Commission should propose to authorise this genetically modified maize on the basis of EFSA's opinion. It also noted that one of the studies mentioned in the EFSA opinion was co-written by a member of the EFSA GMO panel and a scientist working for Syngenta and that references to this study were later removed from the EFSA opinion.

Decision-making process

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

On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the Commission's implementing decision was not compatible with Union law, which requires that bases are set out in order to ensure a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, the environment and consumer interests, while ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market.

As a result, Parliament called on the Commission to:

- withdraw its draft implementing decision;

- suspend any implementing decision on applications for authorisation of genetically modified organisms until the authorisation procedure has been revised in order to remedy the shortcomings of the current procedure, which has proved inadequate;

- withdraw proposals for authorisations of GMOs – whether for cultivation or for food and feed purposes – if the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health does not deliver an opinion.

Parliament reiterated its commitment to make progress in its work on the Commission's proposal to amend Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. It asked the Council to give urgent attention to completing its work on this Commission proposal.

It also welcomed the commitment of EFSA’s Executive Director to ensure that, in the future, EFSA staff members no longer publish scientific publications with industry-affiliated scientists in order to increase consumer confidence in the EU food safety system.

Documents
2019/01/31
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2018/12/06
   EP - PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/12/06
   EP - BALAS Guillaume (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/12/06
   EP - MAZURONIS Valentinas (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/12/06
   EP - STAES Bart (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2018/12/06
   EP - EVI Eleonora (EFDD) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI

Documents

Votes

B8-0075/2019 - Résolution 31/01/2019 12:26:06.000 #

2019/01/31 Outcome: +: 391, -: 204, 0: 47
IT FR DE AT EL BG PL RO LU LV PT HR DK CY MT SK SI BE IE LT NL GB EE ?? FI SE CZ HU ES
Total
64
61
82
17
14
16
43
27
6
6
19
9
11
5
5
10
5
20
10
9
24
60
5
1
12
16
18
18
47
icon: S&D S&D
162

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Croatia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Malta S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

2

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands S&D

For (2)

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
47

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Hungary Verts/ALE

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
41

Italy GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

2
icon: ENF ENF
32

Germany ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Austria ENF

3

Poland ENF

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1

United Kingdom ENF

4
icon: EFDD EFDD
33

Germany EFDD

Abstain (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Czechia EFDD

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
65

Germany ECR

3

Greece ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Romania ECR

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Cyprus ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Finland ECR

Against (1)

2

Sweden ECR

2

Czechia ECR

2
icon: NI NI
14

France NI

For (1)

1

Germany NI

2

NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
62

Germany ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

3

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria ALDE

4

Romania ALDE

3

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Croatia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Denmark ALDE

2

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

3

United Kingdom ALDE

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Sweden ALDE

2
icon: PPE PPE
184
2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Croatia PPE

Against (1)

4

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1

Slovenia PPE

Against (1)

4

Belgium PPE

Against (1)

3

Lithuania PPE

2

United Kingdom PPE

Against (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Finland PPE

2

History

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

committees/0/rapporteur/3
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BOYLAN Lynn
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European United Left - Nordic Green Left
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commission
  • body: EC dg: Agriculture and Rural Development commissioner: HOGAN Phil
committees
  • type: Responsible Committee body: EP committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee: ENVI associated: False date: 2018-12-06T00:00:00 2018-12-06T00:00:00 2018-12-06T00:00:00 2018-12-06T00:00:00 2018-12-06T00:00:00 2018-12-06T00:00:00 rapporteur: name: PIETIKÄINEN Sirpa group: Group of European People's Party abbr: EPP name: BALAS Guillaume group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D name: MAZURONIS Valentinas group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe abbr: ALDE name: BOYLAN Lynn group: European United Left - Nordic Green Left abbr: GUE/NGL name: STAES Bart group: Greens/European Free Alliance abbr: Verts/ALE name: EVI Eleonora group: Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy abbr: EFDD
docs
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2019-0075&language=EN title: B8-0075/2019 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2019-07-03T00:00:00 docs: title: SP(2019)392 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=32144&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 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-2019-0059 title: T8-0059/2019 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 391 votes to 204, with 47 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 87403 (MON-874Ø3-1) pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The application for marketing authorisation was submitted to the competent authority of Belgium on 26 June 2015 by Monsanto Europe SA/NV on behalf of Monsanto, USA. Comments from the Parliament and the Member States The competent authorities of the Member States made many critical observations during the three-month consultation period following the publication of the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in March 2018. In particular, they argued that it was not possible conclude on the safety of the long-term reproductive or developmental effects of the whole food and/or feed, that the applicant’s proposal for an environmental monitoring plan does not meet the defined objectives and, crucially, that the evidence provided was not considered sufficient to reassure consumers of the safety of GM maize MON 87403. Underlining that the potential risks of this genetically modified maize to human and animal health and the environment have not been properly addressed by EFSA's Scientific Panel on GMOs, Parliament considered it unacceptable that the Commission should propose to authorise this genetically modified maize on the basis of EFSA's opinion. It also noted that one of the studies mentioned in the EFSA opinion was co-written by a member of the EFSA GMO panel and a scientist working for Syngenta and that references to this study were later removed from the EFSA opinion. Decision-making process The Commission has repeatedly deplored the fact that since the current GMO authorisation procedure entered into force, each authorisation decision has been taken by the Commission without the support of the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health of the Member States. Thus, the referral of the dossier back to the Commission for a final decision, which should have been an exception, has become the rule in the decision-making process on authorisations of genetically modified food and feed. On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the Commission's implementing decision was not compatible with Union law, which requires that bases are set out in order to ensure a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, the environment and consumer interests, while ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market. As a result, Parliament called on the Commission to: - withdraw its draft implementing decision; - suspend any implementing decision on applications for authorisation of genetically modified organisms until the authorisation procedure has been revised in order to remedy the shortcomings of the current procedure, which has proved inadequate; - withdraw proposals for authorisations of GMOs – whether for cultivation or for food and feed purposes – if the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health does not deliver an opinion. Parliament reiterated its commitment to make progress in its work on the Commission's proposal to amend Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. It asked the Council to give urgent attention to completing its work on this Commission proposal. It also welcomed the commitment of EFSA’s Executive Director to ensure that, in the future, EFSA staff members no longer publish scientific publications with industry-affiliated scientists in order to increase consumer confidence in the EU food safety system.
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
procedure
reference
2019/2523(RSP)
title
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 87403 (MON-874Ø3-1)
subject
type
RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
subtype
Resolution on implementing act or powers
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure EP 112-p2
stage_reached
Procedure completed
dossier_of_the_committee
ENVI/8/15239