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The European Parliament said it has approved new regulations, with amendments, aimed at simplifying and updating the dozen or so current EU laws on food additives. The legislation now goes to the Council of Ministers, which is expected to carry out its first reading in the autumn. [...] Parliament said flavourings and enzymes should be used only if there is a benefit to the consumer and, if they are made from GMOs, the label must say so.

During the night of Friday 6th July, a crop of genetically modified potatoes on Britain's last remaining GM trial site was destroyed. Building public concern and demonstrations had thus far failed to sway the National Institute for Agriculture and Botany, who are carrying out the five-year trial on behalf of BASF, a multinational chemical corporation.

Following a historic agreement by Ireland's Green Party to form a coalition government with Fianna Fail, the two parties revealed their agreed policy ”to negotiate for the whole island of Ireland to become a GMO-free zone.”

EU biotech experts failed on Friday to agree on approving two genetically modified maize varieties, sending the applications to national ministers for further consideration, the European Commission said. The applications, both of which are for modified maize hybrids, do not relate to cultivation. The two maize types are designed to resist certain field pests - such as the European corn borer and corn rootworm - and also certain herbicides.

Cyprus wants to declare the island a GMO-free zone because it is not big enough to ensure conventional crops will remain unaffected by biotech ones, its agriculture minister said on Monday.

Several influential EU states have dug in their heels on whether their farmers may grow one of Europe’s oldest genetically modified (GMO) crops, raising the stakes in the EU’s long-running stalemate over biotech policy. [...] In the past few weeks, two EU agricultural powerhouse countries -- France and Germany -- entered the fray. Not only do they wield huge clout under the bloc’s weighted voting system for decision-making, they also grow vast amounts of cereals.

The European Parliament, [...] Expresses its concern at the possibility of genetically modified fish escaping into marine ecosystems and the likelihood of their reproducing with local fish, which may disrupt the biodiversity of those ecosystems; calls on the EC to prohibit genetically modified fish intended for the EU food chain from entering the EU; [...]

Recently, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture publicly announced his intention to support GM soy cultivation in the EU:

“As the GM soy cultivation technology proved to have obvious advantages for farmers, with positive outcome for Romania" s national economy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will support the approval for cultivation of GM soy at the European Union level, by expressing a favorable position in the decision making process.”

GM soybean cultivation, which had reached 130.000 ha in Romania is presently prohibited and Monsanto"s application for approval pending at the EU level.

The European Commission intends to promote genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, even though it admits that that the European public does not want to eat GM foods. The Commission"s mid-term review of the EU"s Biotech Strategy today called for increased financial and political support for biotechnology applications - including GM crops - while acknowledging the poor performance of the GM crop sector and its widespread public opposition.

Ecologists’ second strike secured a victory for the future of Romania’s agriculture: 14 villages in the Cluj county (the Huedin region) followed the example of their Bihor county neighbors and declared this region as free from any genetically modified organisms. The localities include the small town of Huedin and 13 villages, while the Bihor GMO-free zone includes two towns and 24 villages.