EU Authorization of GMOs—The Promise of Deliberation

Abstract

This chapter examines epistemic and political challenges of risk regulation in the internal market of the European Union, with particular emphasis on how EU legal rules governing authorization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) accommodate divergent national views on GMOs. It first considers the EU legal framework aimed at ensuring a safe internal market for GMOs through harmonization of national laws and the implementation of a pre-market authorization procedure through direct EU administration. It then describes two main stages of GMO authorization, both governed by decentralized transnational networks—risk assessment and risk management—and the roles of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the comitology network, respectively. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the promise of deliberation in terms of legally enabling ‘unity in diversity’ in EU authorization of GMOs.