EU ends 6-year biotech moratorium

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Bowing to pressure from Washington, the European Union lifted a six-year moratorium on new biotech foods Wednesday by allowing onto the EU market a modified strain of sweet corn, grown mainly in the United States.

But even the company that developed the insect-resistant corn, Swiss-based Syngenta, conceded it could take a lot longer for skeptical Europeans to start buying — and eating — it.

"Whether (genetically modified) foods will be accepted or not will depend on the European consumers," Syngenta spokesman Rainer von Mielecki said. "We understand and accept this."

The Bush administration, which accused the EU last year of violating international trade rules, welcomed the approval Wednesday but insisted its complaint at the World Trade Organization would go forward. The initial ruling is expected in September.

"The approval of a single product is not evidence that applications are moving routinely through the approval process in an objective, predictable manner based on science and EU law rather than political factors," said Richard Mills, spokesman for the U.S. trade representative in Washington.

But David Byrne, the EU's commissioner for health and consumer protection, insisted more approvals would follow, eventually undercutting the U.S. case, which was supported by Canada, Argentina and more than a dozen other countries.

Since the EU is no longer delaying application of its own laws, "that part of the complaint seems to me to be very difficult to make," Byrne said.

The EU's executive commission approved imports of Syngenta's Bt11 corn for human consumption after governments repeatedly deadlocked on the application, reflecting Europe's continuing ambivalence.

While European leaders have stressed the importance of the biotech industry as an engine for growth in the 21st century, they are reluctant to be seen as promoting genetically modified foods, which remain widely unpopular in Europe.

A series of food-related health scares in recent years, from mad cow disease to poisoned poultry, have stoked fears among many Europeans.

German and French officials said they still had reservations about safety but insisted the labeling rules meant consumers would have a choice.

The commission "was obviously under pressure," German Consumer Protection Minister Renate Kuenast said. "Now the consumers have to decide if they buy the corn or not."