2007-06-14 20:26:01 -

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - EU governments should work together in deciding rules for using biotech foods, rather than forge their own policies and risk inviting legal action against the 27-member bloc, the EU trade chief said Thursday.
Nations outside the European Union could interpret individually set biotech rules as unfair trade barriers, EU Trade

Commissioner Peter Mandelson warned.
«If we fail to implement our own rules, or implement them inconsistently, we can _ and probably will _ be challenged» with legal action through the World Trade Organization, Mandelson told a conference organized by the biotech lobby Europabio.
Genetically modified foods are a touchy subject in Europe, where some consumers seek out GM-free labeled soy. Several nations, including Austria, Greece and Poland, have been reluctant to allow GM products go on sale, despite scientific tests declaring them safe.
Mandelson warned that not bringing these countries into line could risk new WTO legal action. In November, the WTO said EU nations broke trade rules by stopping biotech crop imports, in a ruling that backed a a challenge by the United States, Canada and Australia that said the bloc had no scientific evidence to justify its cautious position.
EU environment ministers refused in December, however, to force Austria to lift its ban on two biotech maize products. The European Commission had asked for the ban to be overturned because the EU's food safety agency had concluded there was no risk to health or the environment.
Mandelson said Europe had a right to set its own food policy, but should realize this would set a higher bar for exporters from developing countries who viewed such rules as hidden protectionism.
Europe could stick to its standards if it made sure they were well-grounded in scientific fact and applied equally across the region, he said.
«So long as we apply the same rules and standards across the board, the protectionist label doesn't stick,» he said.

Mandelson also urged the biotech industry not to dismiss consumer fears, saying companies and public authorities needed to do a better job of explaining the issues «so that people are aware of the potential benefits of GM food and _ crucially _ so they have confidence in our testing and approval regime and are given appropriate information.
«Otherwise too many Europeans will continue to see genetically modified organisms in black and white terms, wholly good or wholly bad,» he said.
The EU has been at pains to ensure member states follow its 2004 decision lifting its six-year moratorium on introducing new genetically altered crops.
Many EU nations continue to insist that genetically modified foods pose potential risks to human health and the environment, and have been hesitant to embrace newly approved products. Trade rivals say the Europeans are unfairly restricting access to the European market, and that decisions on approving new products are based on political motives rather than scientific proof.