[Gen-Streitfall] United States Asks WTO to Set Up Panel To Rule in Dispute With Europe Over GMOs

[Wiebke Herding]

International Trade Daily
Friday, August 8, 2003  
ISSN 1533-1350 
Lead Report 
 
Agriculture

United States Asks WTO to Set Up Panel To Rule in Dispute With Europe 
Over GMOs  

The United States announced Aug. 7 that it is asking the World Trade 
Organization to set up a dispute settlement panel to rule on its 
complaint that the European Union has "illegally" halted approvals of 
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for the past five years. 
Officials said that the United States, which initiated the complaint 
last May, held formal consultations with the EU in June under WTO 
rules but that the EU showed no willingness to lift the moratorium on 
biotech products.  

U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick, announcing the U.S. 
decision, said that the EU has left the United States with no choice 
but to proceed with the establishment of a WTO panel.  

"For five years," Zoellick said, "the EU has kept in place a ban on 
biotech approvals--a ban which is unsupported even by the EU's own 
scientific studies. This trade barrier harms farmers and consumers 
around the world by denying them the benefits of productive, 
nutritious, and environmentally friendly biotech products."  

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said that the United States 
has been "extremely patient" with the EU.  

"We have had exhaustive discussions with the Europeans," she said, 
"and it now is time to let the dispute settlement process work."  

The United States, along with Canada and Argentina, launched the case 
May 13 by requesting formal WTO consultations.  

U.S. officials said that Canada and Argentina were also requesting 
WTO panels to consider the EU moratorium.  

Dispute settlement procedures, including appeal, typically take about 
18 months to play out.  

The United States has argued that prior to 1999 the EU approved nine 
agriculture biotech products for planting or import but then 
suspended consideration of all new applications for approval without 
offering any scientific evidence for moratorium--as required under 
WTO rules.  

A press release issued by USTR said that the adoption by the EU last 
month of two new regulations on biotech products will have no effect 
on the U.S. challenge to the moratorium on GMO approvals at the WTO.  


One regulation will require that biotech products be traced 
throughout the commercial chain, and that food containing biotech 
products comply with certain labeling requirements.  

The other regulation will provide for new approval procedures for 
biotech food and feed products upon its entry into force in about six 
months.  

"Since neither one of these new regulations lifts the illegal 
moratorium on biotech products," USTR said, "they do not affect the 
U.S. WTO challenge."  

By Gary G. Yerkey  

Copyright © 2003 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington 
D.C.  

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