GMO-Free Europe Event 2022

The GMO-Free Europe Event took place on 17 November 2022 at the European Parliament, co-organised by Save Our Seeds and IFOAM Organics Europe and hosted by the Green Group / EFA in the European Parliament. Aim of the event was to discuss the European Commission’s initiative to change the legislation on the approval, risk assessment and labelling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in food and agriculture. 

The Commission has announced a new legislative proposal for the second quarter of 2023, which may exempt certain GMOs obtained from CRISPR-Cas and similar so-called ‘New Genomic Techniques’ from the present level of risk assessment, traceability and labelling. What would be the consequences of such a deregulation on environmental and consumer protection and on the GMO-free production chain in Europe? What about labelling and the right to know? What about science and precaution?  

In its Berlin Declaration 2018, the 9th Conference of GMO-free Regions stated: We want to emphasize that – in line with the ruling by the European Court of Justice – the regulation of all GMOs and methods for genetic engineering are subject to precautionary risk assessment and transparent approval procedures as well as labelling and traceability obligations under GMO legislation.  

The event brings together representatives of GMO-free Regions, scientists, farmers, producers, retailers and consumers as well as NGOs, civil servants, and politicians to scrutinise the proposal and take a stand. 

You couldn’t make it?

Watch the full recordings in our dedicated YouTube playlist. There you will find:

• Full recordings in English
• Full recordings in German
• Full recordings in French
• Interviews to panellists (see below)
• Speech of our President, Jan Plagge

More materials

Below you can find the outline of the event with the various panellists, each linked to their interventions, as well as interview and presentation when available.

Welcome & Introduction by host and moderator

• Martin Häusling, MEP, Greens/EFA. Interview.
• Thomas Waitz, MEP, Greens/EFA
• Benny Haerlin, Save Our Seeds
• Silke Malorny, State of Hesse (GMO Free Regions network)
• Stefan Kaineder, State of Upper Austria

Part 1 – SCIENCE

• Eva Gelinsky, Member of the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology ECNH. Presentation.
• Christoph Then, Testbiotech. Presentation.
• Margret Engelhard, German Federal Agency for Nature Protection. Presentation.

Part 2 – ECONOMY

• Tia Loftsgard, Canadian Organic Trade Association
• Heike Moldenhauer, ENGA, European Non-GMO Industry Association
• Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe and Bioland Germany. Interview.
• Fabrizio Fabbri, European Community of Consumer Co-operatives. Interview. Presentation.
• Jörg Rohwedder, Foodwatch International. Presentation.

Part 3 – POLITICS

• Claire Bury, EU Commission, Deputy Director General DG Sante
• Sarah Wiener, MEP. Interview.
• Michele Rivasi, MEP
• Mute Schimpf, Friends of the Earth Europe
• Maria Arena, MEP
• Aina Bartmann, Nordic GMO Network
• Pascal Durand, MEP
• Pat Thomas, Beyond GM UK. Interview. Presentation.
• Benoît Biteau, MEP
• Nina Holland, Corporate Europe Observatory