ECJ: Location of GM fields to be disclosed to the
public
17 February 2009
Such is the decision taken by the ECJ.
The case is based on a request from Pierre Azelvandre, a
French national, who in 2004 wrote to the mayor of Haute-Alsace and
to the French committee on access to administrative documents,
demanding to know where any GM fields in his region might be. The
mayor failed to reply and the committee refused the request on the
grounds that the information could prejudice the privacy and safety
of farmers concerned.
Then, Mr Azelvandre took his case to the French Conseil d'Etat,
which referred it to the ECJ for an opinion.
Now, the exact location of fields in the European Union planted
with genetically modified (GM) crops must be made public. The court
said that the sites of GM cultivation "can in no case be kept
confidential" under transparency rules contained in an EU
directive on releasing GMs into the environment, since GMs could
pose a risk to the environment and human health.
Want to read the judgement in full? Please click
here:
http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/form.pl?lang=EN&Submit=rechercher&numaff=C-552/07
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