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T. HANIOTIS, Counselor [Agriculture] for the European Commission Delegation, 2300 M. Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037

The supply of agricultural biotechnology in the US has been assisted by a combination of factors that all contributed in a positive direction. The change in farm policies encouraged production flexibility and export, while widespread approval among producers, consumers and policy makers alike allowed the development of a regulatory framework that relaxed previous constraints. In the EU, on the other hand, farm policy changes pointed towards the need for output controls, and did not provide incentives for commercial applications of GMOs in agriculture. In addition, EU policies were dominated by a complete rethinking of food safety policy in the aftermath of food safety crises, that resulted in regulatory changes whose basic aim was to build up consumer confidence in food safety.

The above difference in priorities was compounded by the fact that US supply and EU demand for GMOs interacted in the context of regulatory processes that, although aiming at the same objectives, applied different approaches to meet these objectives. Recent initiatives in the EU aim at improving the regulatory process by reforming the manner by which GMOs are approved before being placed in the market. The aim and challenge is to build public confidence in the safety of agricultural applications of biotechnology from a human health and environmental perspective, as well as to convince citizens about the benefits of the technology for society at large.