The Greens, a partner in Germany’s three-party coalition, must tear down internal walls to overcome the tug-of-war over genetic engineering that currently exists within the coalition, Carina Konrad, a member of parliament for the liberal coalition partner FDP, said ahead of an EU-level vote on the issue that could see Germany abstain.
The European Commission recently put forward a controversial proposal to deregulate new genomic techniques (NGTs) but parties in the German government have different views on deregulating gene-edited products, with the Greens being very vocal in its opposition.
However, criticism of the Green’s stance, including from Konrad who led the FDP’s delegation on agricultural matters during the negotiations to form Germany’s current government
But, according to resistance within parts of the Greens “now has to be dismantled,” Konrad, who led the FDP’s delegation on agricultural matters during the negotiations to form Germany’s current government, urged in an interview with EURACTIV.
“We are all familiar with the Greens’ position and that they have built up a few walls in the past,” she explained.
If the German government fails to find an internal common position, it will likely abstain from voting at the EU level. Bickering between coalition partners has already led to voting abstentions by Germany in the past, which became so frequent that the abstentions were even dubbed the “German vote”.
“It becomes urgently necessary” to find a decision in this legislative period, said Konrad, adding that the focus on Germany “should be an additional incentive” to push the national debate.
According to Conrad, Europe has already fallen behind due to its hesitancy to adapt to these new developments.
“We have been left behind in [plant] breeding for more than 20 or 25 years because Europe has closed its doors to the developments that have taken place worldwide in genetic engineering itself,” she stressed, adding that “we are threatened with the same fate [in terms of NGT] if we do not come to sensible decisions quickly.”
Therefore, the liberalisation of genetic engineering could prove to be the next friction point for the German government, which has often been embroiled in power struggles due to opposing views on many issues.
“For the FDP, this is a very, very high topical issue because it is a very, very high priority for us. That was already the case in the last legislative period, and that is why we were really very expectant and hopeful about the proposal,” Konrad stated.
Recently, German Agricultural Minister Cem Özdemir has put himself forward to bridge the gap between opposition voices from within his party and proponents of the deregulation.
Even though he has called for a review of key aspects of the proposal, Özdemir has not rejected the Commission’s push to deregulate gene editing outright, saying at the last meeting of agriculture ministers in August that he saw his position as a middle ground between the two sides.
Konrad sees this development as “a clear realisation, at least in parts of the Greens, that we really can achieve good goals here.”
Other Greens, however, were less cautious in their responses to the Commission’s proposal.
Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, for example, said the Commission’s plan to put “large quantities” of genetically modified food on supermarket shelves without a prior risk assessment was “wrong”.
However, Konrad expects the German government to take a stand on the issue: “Especially given the challenges and demands placed on agriculture at the European level.”
How quickly the Commission’s consultation process with EU member countries will progress remains to be seen. While an outright rejection of the Commission’s proposal is not expected, it seems more likely that a compromise will be reached.
“There is, of course, a strong focus on Germany and a very strong focus on what the German decision will be,” Konrad told EURACTIV. (Kjeld Neubert / EURACTIV.de)
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Source: euractiv.com
