Regulating GMO Coexistence in the EU: Moving Beyond ‘Subsidiarity vs. Harmonization’ Towards Synergetic Governance

4th International Conference on Coexistence between Genetically Modified (GM) and Non-GM based Agricultural Supply Chains (GMCC’09), Melbourne, Australia, November 10-12, 2009

Posted: 17 Dec 2010

See all articles by Thijs F. M. Etty

Thijs F. M. Etty

VU University Amsterdam - Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), and VU Law Faculty, Transnational Legal Studies Department

Date Written: November 2009

Abstract

This paper assesses the Commission’s strategy for regulating coexistence from procedural and substantive perspectives, applying analytical lenses of ‘multi-level’ and ‘reflexive/new governance’. It challenges ruling impressions of Member State-driven coexistence policy, by scrutinizing the discrepancy between the Commission’s formal reliance on subsidiarity-based diversity and its de facto practice of substantially circumscribing Member States’ broad legal mandate for national coexistence policies, signalling ‘re-Europeanization’ of coexistence-governance.

Recommendations are made towards ‘synergetic-governance’, combining national/regional flexibility with minimum EU-harmonization of the basic parameters for conceptualization and proportionality of coexistence, enhancing the legitimacy of subsidiarity-based coexistence policy in Europe, integrally with the overall agbiotech-regulation regime.

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Keywords: EU law, EC policy, precauationary principle environmental policy, biotechnology, GMO, transgenic, risk regulation, safeguard ban, Renationalization, ECJ, comitology, WTO, trade, morality clauses, coexistence , multilevel governance, new governance

JEL Classification: K32, K33, K39, K23, K10, K13, K19, K00, O13, Q17, Q18

Suggested Citation

Etty, Thijs F. M., Regulating GMO Coexistence in the EU: Moving Beyond ‘Subsidiarity vs. Harmonization’ Towards Synergetic Governance (November 2009). 4th International Conference on Coexistence between Genetically Modified (GM) and Non-GM based Agricultural Supply Chains (GMCC’09), Melbourne, Australia, November 10-12, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1725770

Thijs F. M. Etty (Contact Author)

VU University Amsterdam - Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), and VU Law Faculty, Transnational Legal Studies Department ( email )

De Boelelaan 1087
Amsterdam, 1081HV
Netherlands
+31205982902 (Phone)
+31206732319 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ivm.vu.nl

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