RESEARCH STRATEGY
1) Prepare a brief overview of EU import
regulations regarding genetically modified products.
Standard search engine techniques
Using a carefully formulated search query to research a broad topic
such as genetically modified products within the EU may be a good general
starting point.
Using the Google search engine (www.google.com), enter
the following search query:
genetically modified seeds EU
This intuitive search query would seem a good combination of keywords
for the research problem. However, although it returns many hits, it does
not return any highly relevant links in the first few pages.
If your first choice of keywords doesn’t provide the hits you
were looking for, try some alternatives. The problem with the above search
is that the word seeds was too specific.
Now enter the following search query:
genetically modified products EU
Among the hits returned, one of the first links listed is EUROPA
- Food Safety - Biotechnology – Introduction.
Clicking on this link takes you to the Food and Feed Safety
section of the Europa website, containing an outline of the European Union
policy, references to major directives and a wealth of vocabulary in English
(and other official EU languages) associated with the research task.
Studying the page also reveals important, relevant resources. One menu
on the page contains links to subjects such as GM Food and Feed,
GM Plants and Seeds, etc. Clicking on the Questions
and Answers link in this menu will lead you to a link to
the following PDF file: Question and Answers on the Regulation
of GMOs in the EU.
Searching this file for terms such as importation will
provide you with the information you need to complete the research task.
Note also that the horizontal menu running across the top of the Food
and Feed Safety section of the Europa website contains well-organised
items, enabling you to research the topic further.
Alternative strategy: portals
One alternative to a search engine search is to use an online portal
or gateway to the relevant information. A portal is a website which acts
as a starting point to other websites, directories and other online activities.
Portals are often subject-specific. In this case, you would need to
find a portal to EU law. Using the Google search engine, enter the following
search query:
portal to European law
One of the first sites returned is EUR-Lex – Home
. Following this link takes you to the Portal to European Union Law. Note
the language field in the upper right hand corner of the page which allows
you to use the portal in any of the official European Union languages.
Towards the centre of the page there is a menu listing the sources of
EU legal documents: Official Journal, Treaties, Legislation,
etc. Click on the Legislation link.
The resulting page provides several search possibilities: Search
by document number, Search by publication reference in the Official
Journal and Search by word. In the Search by word
text field, enter the following search query:
genetically modified
You must click the 
symbol to the right in order to submit the search query (hitting the 'Return'
key on your keyboard does not work in this portal).
This search provides a number of sources which will help you solve your
problem.
Note that the bottom line of each result entry contains four coloured
arrows. The yellow arrow may be used to obtain more information regarding
the listed legislation, while the remaining three allow you to choose
the format in which you wish to view the document: PDF, TIF and HTML.
Answer
Adapted from: Questions and Answers on the regulation of GMOs
in the European Union.
The EU is a party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety annexed
to the UNEP’s Convention on Biological Diversity. It entered
into force on 11 September 2003. The overall purpose of this United
Nations agreement is to establish common rules to be followed in
transboundary movements of GMOs in order to ensure, on a global
scale, the protection of biodiversity and of human health.
The cornerstone of this legal framework is Directive 2001/18/EC
on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified
organisms. It is supplemented by the Regulation on the transboundary
movements of GMOs, which was adopted in June 2003. The main features
of the Regulation are:
• the obligation to notify exports of GMOs intended for deliberate
release into the environment and secure express consent prior to
a first transboundary movement;
• the obligation to provide information to the public and
to our international partners on EU practices, legislation and decisions
on GMOs, as well as on accidental releases of GMOs;
• a set of rules for the export of GMOs intended to be used
as food, feed or for processing;
• provisions for identifying GMOs for export.
Release into the environment
The release of a GMO into the environment consists of an introduction
of the GMO into the environment, without any precise confinement
measure being taken to restrict the contact between this GMO and
the population or the environment in general. Such a release may
be carried out for experimental purposes or in connection with the
placing on the market of a GMO.
Experimental releases of GMOs into the environment are mainly
carried out for the purposes of study, research, demonstration and
development of novel varieties. The behaviour of the GMO in an open
environment and its interactions with other organisms and the environment
are studied. The experimental releases are subject to the provisions
of Part B of Directive 2001/18/EC.
If the results of the experimental release are positive, the company
may decide to place the GMO on the market, i.e. make it available
to third parties either free of charge or for a fee. This is a later
stage in the development and use of the GMOs which consists, for
example, in transferring a GMO free of charge between commercial
partners or the marketing of the GMO. Hence, the GMO may be placed
on the market for purposes of cultivation, importation, or transformation
into different products. The placing on the market of a GMO is mainly
governed by the provisions of Part C of Directive 2001/18/EC.
What is the procedure for authorisation of the experimental
release of
GMOs into the environment?
A person or a company who wishes to introduce GMOs into the environment
for experimental purposes must first obtain written authorisation
to this end. This authorisation is issued by the competent national
authority of the Member State within whose territory the experimental
release is to take place, on the basis of an evaluation of the risks
presented by the GMO – or GMOs – for the environment
and human health.
To obtain this authorisation, the applicant (called "the
notifier") must submit an application (called "the notification")
containing the particulars set out in Article 6 of Directive 2001/18/EC.
These particulars must include an evaluation of the environmental
risks which the notifier has carried out.
The decision to authorise — or reject — the release
of the GMO is exclusively incumbent on the competent national authority
which has received the notification. Hence the authorisation procedure
is a purely national one. This corresponds to a feature of the authorisation
of release for experimental purposes: the authorisation to proceed
with this release applies only in the Member State in which the
notification has been submitted. However, the other Member States
and the European Commission may make observations to be examined
by the competent national authority. If the competent national authority
considers that the notification complies with the requirements of
Directive 2001/18/EC, it authorises the release. If the competent
national authority considers that the notification does not meet
the conditions laid down in Directive 2001/18/EC, it rejects the
notification.
In the event of authorisation, the notifier may release the GMO
in compliance with the conditions set out in this authorisation.
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2) Prepare a list of key terms concerning
these regulations, providing a translation into another EU language.
Comparing languages
Suppose you were interested in the Commission Decision of 1 December
2004 (2004/842/EC). After you have found this document on
the list, click on the HTML link (green arrow).
When the resulting document opens, you will see a horizontal menu across
the top of the page which allows you to open the Decision in a variety
of languages. By right-clicking on one of those buttons, you can open
the document in a new window for easy comparison between the languages.
You can use your browser’s Find function to find the
term in one language and easily determine what the European Union translation
is of that term in another.
Parallel view
There is another convenient way for viewing an EU document in multiple
languages simultaneously, making it easier to find the term you are looking
for.
Go to the Europa start page (http://europa.eu.int/)
and click on the link for English:
Gateway to the European Union
The menu in the middle of the page includes four tabs: ACTIVITIES,
INSTITUTIONS, DOCUMENTS, SERVICES. Choose the
DOCUMENTS tab, and click on EUR-LEX, the portal to
European Union law . On the menu at the left-hand side of
the page, click SIMPLE SEARCH. The resulting page
provides a menu which also gives you access to EU documents, including
legislation.
Under the heading General search, click Search terms.
In the Search for field, enter the following search query:
genetically modified
NB: This search will not work as a phrase (using quotation marks).
This produces a number of hits for EU documents containing the term
‘genetically modified’.
Suppose you were interested in the Commission Decision of 3 November
2005 (2005/772/EC). (Note: You may need to look beyond the first
page of results to find this Decision.) You will note several links immediately
below that entry, including Bibliographic notice + Text (bilingual
display). Click on that link.
The resulting page provides you with the English text of that Decision.
Note the Bilingual display menu immediately above the Decision.
From that list you can choose another official language for parallel display.
For example, click DE for a parallel German display.
If you speak an official European Union language, it is easy to search
the terms in that language and then do a search in the equivalent English
language document in parallel display. In this way, you can identify the
English terminology associated with your research project.
Answer
The following key terms have been taken from the suggested answer
to question 1. Use the proposed research strategies outlined in
task 7 to translate them. Look for other useful terms relating to
the EU regulations on the movement of GMOs and add to the list.
English
a set of rules for the export of
an evaluation of the risks of
conditions set out in
experimental purposes
experimental releases of
for purposes of cultivation, importation
or transformation into different products
genetically modified organisms
in an open environment
in compliance with
intended to be used as food, feed or for processing
interactions with other organisms
precise confinement measure
provisions for identifying GMOs
release into the environment of
the behaviour of
the obligation to notify
the obligation to provide information
to restrict the contact between (sth) and (sth)
transboundary movements of
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Translation |
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3) Compile a list of useful portals that you discover to email
to other colleagues in your department.
Go back to the list of portals returned after the Google search for
portal to European law. Explore some of the other portals
to see what kind of information they offer. Bookmark the most useful ones.
Answer
Useful portals include:
EU Law Portals
Law Portals
British and Irish Legal Information Institute
http://www.bailii.org/
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