Friday, June 15, 2007

GMOs move into the EU: WTO again

"The European Union must accept more genetically modified foods to avoid renewed complaints about market barriers at the World Trade Organization, the EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, said Thursday.


Any EU delay over the approval of genetically modified crops declared safe by scientists risks prompting legal challenges from farm exporters like the United States, Canada and Argentina, Mandelson said. In a case brought by these three countries, the WTO ruled last year that a 1998-2004 EU ban on new genetically altered foods was illegal." (Thanks Yasmine)

1 comment:

Bedouina said...

This is really my nightmare: Corporate interests now reach out to overrule the law of a group of sovereign countries.

If you have ever come across Tikkun Magazine, the "progressive Jewish" magazine and activist group - one of their projects, on the back burner these days - is to use the corporate bylaws to force corporations to act in socially responsible ways. All these American corporate bylaws include language about benefiting hte common good, etc. Tikkun wants to hold them to it.

There is a book called "The Divine Right of Capital" that takes apart the economic assumptions of the corporation. It's fascinating and revolutionary. I hope you find a copy of it - it's obscure - and read it. Barret-Koehler press. Can't remember author name.