Motion to Enable GMO Ban to Be Ready in a Month
Lukovica, 10 April - A legislative proposal that would enable Slovenia to ban growing genetically-modified organisms (GMO) based on a new EU directive will be drawn up in about a month, according to Agriculture Minister Dejan Židan.
Ljubljana
Slovenia to ban GMOs.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
In force since the beginning of April, the new European directive enables EU countries to restrict or ban the cultivation of GMOs on their respective territories even if they are permitted at the EU level.
Taking to reporters on Friday at a news conference dedicated to the initiative for World Honeybee Day, Židan underscored Slovenia was among the countries sponsoring the directive.
"We're in the group of countries that has a very conservative position on GMOs," Židan said, announcing that an order setting up a task force tasked with drawing up a legislative motion to bank GMOs was to be signed today.
"The proposal will then be put to public consultation. We'll do everything in our power for this act to be adopted in the shortest time possible and that Slovenia is in the group of countries that protect their territory from GMOs, if that's what people think it should do. And most in Slovenia think so."
GMOs are not cultivated in Slovenia as a strict act on co-existence of genetically modified plants with other agricultural plants is already in place.