English  |  Español  |  Français
Knowledge Base

Search criteria

Information Types

  • Side Events (16)

Meetings

  • BS COP MOP 5 (16)

Subjects

Aichi Targets

Date

Side Event

EU GMO Regulatory System and Activities towards International Harmonisation of GMO Analysis

Organizer
European Commission Joint Research Centre

Date and Time
11 October 2010 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BS COP MOP 5)

A general overview of the legal frame regulating GMOs and GMO-derived products in the EU, their release into the environment, cultivation, importation and their utilisation as food, food ingredients and animal feed will be provided. These rules were established to guarantee a high level of protection to human and animal health and to the environment, whilst ensuring the effective functioning of internal markets. A key technical element for the authorisation of GMOs within the EU is the provision of an event-specific quantitative detection method to allow the control and monitoring of the GM event in the distribution chain. Such a method should also be validated according to internationally accepted standards, in order to be proven as fit for regulatory purposes. In this respect a key role is played by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC). The Molecular Biology and Genomics Unit of the JRC Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP), undertakes, by legal mandate, a series of actions to assure that the legal frame is enforced uniformly and effectively across the EU, and that the critical measures required within the process of implementation are available. The presentation illustrates those activities regarding the development, validation and harmonisation of GMO detection methods and sampling procedures within the European Union, it describes the established structures and the research activities that have already led to a well-attuned control system of GMO labelling throughout Europe. The expert network of regulatory authority laboratories established within EU countries, the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) led by the EC’s JRC, is also presented. Finally, an overview of the training and capacity building activities on GMO analysis carried on within and beyond EU borders, is given and the training tools developed illustrated.