MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
 
Warsaw, 25 August 2008
  
On 25 August 2008, Professor Maciej Nowicki, Minister of the Environment,
gave news conference on the Draft Polish Act on Genetically Modified Organisms
  
The aim of the conference was to provide information on the current status of activities on the Draft Polish Act on Genetically Modified Organisms and on the results of related public consultation just completed to this end. Dr. Maciej Trzeciak, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of the Environment, Chief Nature Conservator, also participated.
   
Professor Maciej Nowicki said that the Polish Ministry of the Environment is not in opposition neither against GMOs nor biotechnology which serve for people and science, but its duty is to safeguard the environment, and it is responsible for it. The Draft Act on Genetically Modified Organisms which has just entered into its legislative process refers to release of GMOs into the environment, but not into food or fodder. 
  
The Minister mentioned also the need to carry out long-term survey on the GMO impacts on nature, however nowadays, there are no firm premises (apart from illusive economic ones), that would have justified undertaking a risk to release into the environment a pollutant being a live organism which has been capable of reproducing, mutation and propagation. The EU countries, including France and Romania, have been gradually changing their position and withdrawing from GMO cultivation. The Minister said that he considers particularly essential an opportunity to establish the GMO-free zones, whereas the relevant decisions to be made to this end will be on the regional parliaments. This issue is currently under consultation. 

Dr. Maciej Trzeciak, Under-Secretary of State, Chief Nature Conservator, added that the aim of the current Draft Act is to meet the expectations of the public: - "Our intention is not to intervene into any research, but one should remember that most Poles are against distribution of genetically modified plants, and we are those who by the Act and the proposal included therein to establish the GMO-free zones have been made responsible for the needs of the general public" - said the Under-Secretary and then he emphasised yet that the Draft Act in question is to transpose the Community legal requirements into the national Polish legal framework.  

The results of the public consultation will now undergo analysis.