Biotechnology news now. A dispute panel at the WTO has ruled that European restrictions on GM imports contravene global trade rules. This dispute was initiated in 2003 by the United States (DS291), Canada (DS292) and Argentina (DS293), but I find it amusing that the press only is commenting how this is a victory by the United States. Read “America’s masterplan is to force GM food on the world“. What about that for a Guardian headline?
Anyway, the normal process started, consultations were followed by the setting up of a three-person dispute resolution panel. The panel was supposed to produce a report for the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) by March 2005. However, the report was continuously delayed, until it was announced last week that the EC had lost the dispute and that the report is favourable to the U.S., Canada and Argentina. The full report is still not available in the WTO site, so it is difficult to ascertain the arguments used. The EU still has the possibility to initiate an appeal, so this subject is far from over.
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