BRUSSELS (AFP)--Germany is set to vote Monday against a European
Commission proposal to lift restrictions on genetically modified
corn, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said, leaving the
decision on a knife-edge.
"Germany will probably vote against lifting the restrictions,
unless the commission comes up with new convincing evidence,"
Gabriel said on arriving for a meeting with his European Union
counterparts in Brussels. "But I can't see what arguments it could
come up with."
Germany's position left uncertain the result of a vote on the
issue, which will be decided along the E.U.'s qualified majority
voting system that gives the larger member states like Germany more
votes.
The ministers were set to vote later Monday on a call from the
commission, the E.U.'s executive arm, to lift provisional bans on
growing U.S. biotech giant Monsanto Co.'s (MON) MON810 GM corn
which Austria and Hungary have imposed.
The commission is also setting its sights against France and
Greece over their use of safeguard clauses, which make the growing
of the controversial corn illegal until there is a review of the
E.U.'s 2004 approval of MON810.
If there isn't a qualified majority opposed to the commission's
decisions then the Brussels executive will be in a position to
impose the right to grow the GM maize.
According to the latest straw poll, the opposition camp was
narrowly short of its target, including Germany's votes. Three
countries - Spain, Belgium and Estonia - had still not declared
their position, leaving the result in the balance.
"We'll see," said Spain's Secretary of State for Climate Change
Teresa Ribera Rodriguez.
Gabriel insisted the public misgivings over GMOs should be
heeded.
"I don't see why we should follow the interests of one American
company and anger the citizens in E.U. member states," he said.