Genetic Modified Organisms: Confronting Needs, Interests, Responsibilities and Fears1

1. Barbara Di Giovanni has edited paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Mariella Nocenzi paragraphs 1, 12, 13, 14, and Ombretta Presenti paragraphs 10, 11.

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Notes

1. Barbara Di Giovanni has edited paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Mariella Nocenzi paragraphs 1, 12, 13, 14, and Ombretta Presenti paragraphs 10, 11.

2. Article 2, Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms.

3. For a list of GMO products approved under Directive 90/220/EEC, as of March 2001, see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biotechnology/authorisation/list_author_gmo_en.pdf

4. For a list of GMO products pending approval under Directive 90/220/EEC, as of October 2001, see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biotechnology/authorisation/app_pend_en.pdf

5. For a list of notifications pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as of October 2001, see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biotechnology/authorisation/app_pend_dprod_en.pdf

6. Notified under Article 3, paragraph 4, Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 on Novel Foods and Novel Food Ingredients.

7. Put in place by Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg in June 1999.

8. The five Member States mentioned in note 7 above, plus Austria.

9. ‘Traceability means the ability to trace GMOs and products produced from GMOs at all stages of their placing on the market through the production and distribution chains’. Paragraph 4, Article 3 Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003. L 268/24 – Official Journal of the European Union – 18.10.2003

10. Article 4.6.

11. Articles 21 and 26, Annex IV (additional information for labelling requirements) and Preamble, Paragraph 40.

12. In Paragraph 16 of the Preamble, the Directive only refers to a Commission's undertaking to bring forward a proposal on environmental liability.

13. The European Commission established its own concept of governance in the White Paper on European Governance, in which the term ‘European governance’ refers to the rules, processes and behaviour that affect the way in which power is exercised at the European level, particularly as regards openess, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence. These five ‘principles of good governance’ reinforce those of subsidiarity and proportionality. ‘Governance in the European Union: a White Paper’, COM (2001) 428, 25 July 2001. See, in particular: http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance

14. See: http://www.science-generation.com The ‘Science Generation’ initiative testifies the determination of ‘Institut de France’ and the ‘Aventis Foundation’ to involve the widest possible public in the ongoing debate about the consequences of scientific progress. Launched initially in France, it offers citizens throughout the country an opportunity to play a truly active role in this unprecedented operation.

15. See: http://www.fondazionebassetti.org and http://www.observanet.itThe survey on ‘Biotechnologies and Public Opinion in Italy’ and the second survey on ‘Biotechnologies and Public Opinion in Italy’ has been conducted by the ‘Poster Research Centre’ under the scientific supervision of Massimiano Bucchi (University of Trento), Federico Neresini (University of Padua) and Giuseppe Pellegrini (University of Padua), the latter responsible for field research.The study was partly sponsored by the ‘Giannino Bassetti Foundation for Responsibility in Innovation’.

16. In this respect, refer to the PARADYS project: ‘Participation and the Dynamics of Social Positioning – The Case of Biotechnology. Images of Self and Others in Decision-Making Procedures’. The PARADYS is being financed by the European Commission within the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) under The Human Potential Programme. See: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/iwt/paradys/english_home.html

17. COM (2002) 27

18. Agenda 21, paragraph 31.1: ‘It is important that the role of science and technology in human affairs be more widely known and better understood, both by decision makers who help determine public policy and by the general public’.

19. On the ‘participatory democracy’ concept, see: Goggin M. L., Governing Science and Technology in a Democracy.

20. The information contained in this document can be found in the survey: ‘Biotechnologies, democracy and the governance of innovation’ that has been carried out by Observa and Fondazione Giannino Bassetti under the supervision of Federico Neresini (University of Padua), Massimiano Bucchi (University of Trento) and Giuseppe Pellegrini (University of Padua), p. 20