EU Governance of GMOs

This book presents a constructive exploration of the dilemmas the EU faces in regulating the risks of modern biotechnology.

It comprehensively examines the current European framework applicable to the marketing of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), and its iterative reforms, in order to assess the regulatory character of the governance system in this controversial policy field.

The author situates the problems of the EU GMO regime in the broader context of ‘post-state’ regulation and discusses them in the light of some of the governance theories that were developed to respond in part to the dilemmas of risk regulation. The book contains analyses of the following issues: the EU laws pertinent to GM products; the approval procedures for placing GMOs on the market; the post-approval control system of commercialised products, as well as the respective judicial interpretations of the EU Court of Justice. The evaluation of the developed governance solutions is also presented.

The examination of the GMO governance reveals that the regime embodies different regulatory modes introduced by the EU which are combined in various forms in a way that frequently influences the adequacy of the adopted measures. The conclusion stemming from these findings suggests that the most appropriate solution for GMO policy in the EU is a reflexive and revisable combination of various regulatory approaches by policy-makers which will allow for the enforcement of their functions and the accommodation of different, often contradictory, policy needs.