Washington - The United States on Wednesday said it opposed a European Union decision that would free its member states to make their own decisions on whether to grow genetically modified crops.
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk suggested the European Commission's proposal would complicate efforts to end a years-long dispute over US food imports to the continent.
The Commission earlier this month proposed opening up the decision on cultivating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in a bid to end its own internal dispute over the products' safety. Once the EU's food safety agency approves specific GMO products, countries would be free to allow or ban them without turning to other member states.
Kirk said he was "encouraged" that Europe had "committed to a much more transparent and science-based process" in evaluating whether genetically modified crops are safe.
But he argued "you are not going to be able to do that" if member states were given the freedom to make their own decisions once the EU declared them to be safe.
Many in the EU are concerned over the safety of GMOs, which the US insists are safe and has used in its domestic market for years. A US complaint over the import ban was backed by the World Trade Organization in 2006, but the EU has effectively maintained its ban.
President Barack Obama has faced increasing pressure from within the United States to consider sanctions against the EU if it fails to lift the ban.
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