New GMO Corn Could Be Pushed on Europe Despite Widespread Political Opposition

A majority of EU countries on Tuesday expressed opposition to the cultivation of a new genetically modified maize in Europe, yet the bloc’s executive body, the European Commission, could be set to green-light the crop anyway.

At the meeting in Brussels, 19 countries, including France, said they were against the approval of Pioneer’s GM maize known as 1507, and four countries abstained during the debate. The five who said they would vote in favor are Britain, Spain, Finland, Estonia and Sweden.

“For us it’s an incomprehensible decision because the majority of EU member states do not want genetically modified maize,” said Thierry Repentin, France’s Europe minister.

The EU Observer explains that EU rules allow a law to be approved “if there is no qualified majority in the council of ministers rejecting it,” noting that bigger members’ votes are weighted more.

European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg indicated to reporters after the meeting that the Commission would approve the new crop, though he left open the possibility that fresh evidence against it could bring new delays.

Environmental groups Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth urged the European Commission to heed the strong opposition—both political and public—and ban the cultivation of the new GM maize.