Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-13-Speech-2-138"
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"en.20010213.7.2-138"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we often begin our speeches in the European Parliament by thanking the rapporteur. I wish to do so again today, and it is meant as more than just lip service. Mr Bowe has done a magnificent job and brought a very complicated procedure to a close. I should also like to thank you, Commissioner Wallström and the Chairman of the Conciliation Committee, Mr Ingo Friedrich. Both put a great deal of effort into finding an agreement; unfortunately, the same cannot be said of everyone else involved in the conciliation procedure.
We have brokered a good compromise. The new regulation gives Europe a high standard of health, consumer and environmental protection. The disputed antibiotic-resistant marker genes will be banned in Europe in the future. Potential environmental dangers must be closely monitored. Labelling of GMOs has been improved, although we expect further action by the Commission on this. We have not passed a regulation preventing the application of green biotechnology and the PPE-DE Group welcomes that. The PPE-DE Group is in favour of green biotechnology, provided that care is taken to ensure that rules to protect the environment and human health are respected.
Yesterday scientists and researchers from all over the world announced that they had completely decoded the human genome. The euphoria which this announcement triggered throughout the world contrasts strangely with the emphatic rejection triggered by the release of genetically-modified plants, especially in Europe. I think that neither euphoria at the human genome project nor total rejection of genetically-modified plants is called for. In both areas there are huge opportunities, but there also risks which must be contained by suitable legislation. The application of genetics to medicine is by no means risk-free; there have already been deaths during research into gene therapy in the USA because the rules were not applied properly. The so-called reproductive cloning of human beings is no longer a chimera and is being seriously pursued by a number of scientists, as we have again seen over the last few days. The artificial distinction between clones of human embryos for stem cell research and so-called reproductive clones will become blurred in the long term and I believe that the first cloned baby will probably be born before the promised relief for patients with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.
Just as red genetic engineering is by no means all opportunity, green genetic engineering is by no means all risk. There is a realistic chance that genetically-modified plants will allow us to make huge progress with renewable primary products. Specifically modified plants will perhaps soon allow cheaper and safer drugs to be manufactured. We should therefore make use of the opportunities in both areas and limit the dangers with suitable legislation. Developments in the release of genetically-modified plants from research into the human genome – for which we have practically no rules in Europe – will result, once the preliminary report is accepted, in a suitable set of rules for all the Member States in the European Union, which is why we should adopt this motion. The PPE-DE Group will be voting in favour of the Bowe report."@en1
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