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GMO-related problems in Croatia to date |
- 1997 – Due to lack of legislative regulations governing the import and cultivation of transgenic plants, sowing of genetically modified (GM) corn on experimental fields was started on a limited scale.
- 1998 – Due to increased public interest in issues related to genetically modified organisms (GMO), the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) passed the Decree on the establishment of the Bioethical Commission on GMOs.
- 1999 – Pursuant to the Decree passed by Croatian Parliament, the Government of the Republic of Croatia established with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry a Bioethical Commission on GMOs, consisting of 16 members – experts and scientists. During this year 6 experimental fields with GM corn were recorded.
- 2000 – The Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Safety, at its extraordinary meeting held in Montreal, Canada, on 29 January, adopted the Protocol on Biosafety (Cartagena Protocol), as the first international treaty governing the issues of transboundary movement, transit, handling and use of living modified organisms. In September, the Protocol on Biosafety was signed by the President of the Republic of Croatia on its behalf at UN Headquarters in New York. Experimental fields in Croatia were destroyed during 2000, and there is no commercial production of GM plants in Croatia today.
- 2001 – Development of the legislative framework to govern GMO related issues was intensified. There were several initiatives to deal with this complex problem. Among them, by agreement between the ministries of health, agriculture and forestry, environmental protection and physical planning, and science and technology the Draft Law on Temporary Ban on the Import, Market Placement, Use and Production of GMOs and Their Products was developed to enforce a temporary moratorium on GMOs until the adoption of complete legislative regulations. At the same time the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning intensified its work at the development of a draft proposal of the new Law on Nature Protection, in which, in addition to numerous other international agreements, also provisions of the Protocol and relevant EU Directives (Directive on the Deliberate Release of GMOs into the Environment, and Directive on the Contained Use of Genetically Modified Microorganisms) were integrated. MEPPP started also preparations for the ratification of the Protocol.
- 2002 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry established a Commission to develop a proposal of the Draft Law on Food, in which also provisions of the EU Directive on novel food would be integrated, including also food containing GMOs or GMO ingredients. The Government of the Republic of Croatia desisted from passing the Law on Temporary Ban in view of the need to co-ordinate the level of provided solutions with countries from our «environment of interest» (primarily the EU), taking also into account that WTO regulations allow for a temporary but not permanent ban on GMO import. In May 2002, the Republic of Croatia ratified the Protocol on Biosafety (Law on the Ratification of the Protocol on Biosafety, Official Gazette – International Treaties, No. 7/2002). In its Decree of October 2002, the Government of the Republic of Croatia allocated responsibility for GMO related issues to the following three state authorities:
- MEPPP was entrusted with integrating into its proposal of the new Law on Nature Protection (www.mzopu.hr) provisions referring to transboundary movement, contained use, transit, deliberate introduction into the environment, and placing genetically modified organisms or products on the market, by providing for instruments for the assessment of risks and threats to biological diversity and human health, establishing thereby safety and protection measures. In line with this, MEPPP submitted to the Government of the Republic of Croatia the draft Law on Nature Protection, in which the indicated issues have been appropriately regulated.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was entrusted with integrating into its proposal of the Law on Food provisions including general requirements with regard to food safety, obligations of legal and natural persons with regard to food safety, and declaration and labelling of food containing GMOs or their ingredients.
- The Ministry of Health was entrusted with providing in its amendments to the Law on Sanitary Safety of Food and Objects of General Use the legislative basis for enabling better control over placing on the market of products (food and items of general use) containing ingredients or substances which are not defined by regulations on sanitary correctness. These provisions would also apply to food containing or made of GMOs.
- 2003 – In January, the implementation of the Project on the «Development of the National Biosafety Framework» has commenced, supported by grant funds from UNEP and GEF. During 2003 the draft proposal of the new Law on Nature Protection is expected to undergo parliamentary adoption procedure, while other legislative regulations to govern GMO-related issues are expected to be drafted and to undergo the stage of adoption by the Government. At present GMO use in Croatia is confined to:
- the use of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMO) in pharmaceutical industry for the production of drugs, vitamins, etc.;
- scientific research carried out by scientific institutions under conditions of confined (laboratory) use.
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