Luxembourg Ministers Urge European Commissin to Ban Genetically Modified Maize

Following the unanimous vote by Luxembourg's parliament - at the Chamber of Deputies - of the resolution on the rejection of the transgenic maize crop introduced by the deputy Henri Kox in open session on 1 June 2017, Ministers Lydia Mutsch, Carole Dieschbourg and Fernand Etgen havve reiterated their commitment against any authorisation for the cultivation of genetically modified organisms in the Grand Duchy.

The Ministers have sent a letter to the European Commission confirming their rejection of the application for authorisation to plant the "1507" maize developed by DuPont / Pioneer and Syngenta corn "Bt11", as well as the renewal of the authorisation of maize "MON810" from Monsanto. By the same letter they have asked the European Commission to respect the opinion of the vast majority of the Member States and therefore not to allow the cultivation of the three varieties of genetically modified maize in the European Union.

The government can only support the resolution of the Chamber of Deputies, as it underlines the position of Luxembourg, as defined in the government programme.

A strong signal to the European Commission

"The unanimous vote on this resolution is very important for our country," the ministers said in a statement. "This initiative by the Chamber of Deputies reflects the opposition of the Luxembourg population to the cultivation of GMOs across the Grand Duchy. This is a strong signal to the European Commission!"

The Ministers recalled that this initiative is an additional good way to remind the European Commission that Luxembourg is of the opinion that, in addition to the risk analysis of EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), there are also other legitimate arguments.

Revision of the GMO Act and commitment of an expert in the matter

The Luxemourg government has stated that it will invest all its energy in the implementation of the legal means at its disposal in order to maintain the ban on the cultivation of GMOs in Luxembourg and to control them more effectively. To this end, the law on GMOs will be revised and the control powers will be reframed.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, in consultation with the Environment Department of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Agriculture,Viticulture and Consumer Protection, has hired an expert specialised in this field.