Audition de la commissaire désignée à la santé par la Commission environnement, santé publique et sécurité alimentaire, 1er octobre 2019

Niveau juridique : Union européenne

Suite aux dernières élections européennes, une nouvelle Commission doit être désignée. Le Parlement européen a élu en juillet dernier Ursula der Leyen à la présidence de la Commission européenne. Cette dernière forme alors son « gouvernement », les commissaires européens. Elle en communique la liste aux Parlement, qui les auditionne avant leur entrée en fonction afin d’examiner leurs compétences et qualifications. Le Parlement possède un droit de veto. (Pour en savoir plus sur la procédure de nomination de la Commission, voir ici).

Lors de l’audition de Mme Stella Kyriakides,la commissaire désignée à la santé, par les membres de la commission environnement santé, la question des nouveaux OGM a été soulevée (les OGM sont de la compétence de la DG SANTE). A la question de savoir si elle s’engageait à appliquer pleinement le jugement de la CJUE de juillet 2018 (voir fiche veille 2305), la Commissaire a botté en touche et simplement affirmé qu’elle ne formulerai une position qu’après avoir travaillé avec les parties prenantes et le Parlement. Cette question fait partie de sa stratégie « de la ferme à la fourchette ». A la question de savoir si elle s’engageait à travailler sur les moyens de détecter les nouveaux OGM, la réponse a été encore plus mitigée, Mme Kyriakides se contentant de dire qu’elle souhaitait examiner les nouveaux OGM « en fonction de l’information qui en découle, des données scientifiques qui sont fournies ». Elle se dit très consciente du manque de confiance des citoyens, et de leurs préoccupations.

Elle a plusieurs fois dans son audition répété qu’elle était fervente défenseure des « décisions politiques basées sur la science » (le nouveau leitmotiv de la Commission, pour mieux évacuer les débats éthiques et politiques…).

Extrait de l’audition : (passages en gras soulignés par nos soins)

« Tilly Metz (Verts/ALE) (…) My second point is on new GMOs. The European Court of Justice ruled that organisms derivedfrom gene editing fall under the EU’s existing GMO legislation. This was in July 2018. However,the Commission is yet to take any meaningful action to protect consumers and farmers from these new GMOs. Do you commit to fully implementing the court ruling as a matter of urgency,including in relation to safety assessment, traceability and labelling?

Stella Κyriakides, Commissioner-designate.–I am very aware that GMOs is a very sensitive issue and has often been a divisive one. I’m also aware that what we are faced with, despite what science sometimes shows us, is a lack of citizens’ trust concerning GMOs. I am hopeful, and I’ve mentioned this before, that the General Food Law and the changes in transparency will allow us to have a better picture of what we’re dealing with. Decisions need to be based on science. EFSA authorises only safe GMOs, but 19 Member States have taken the decision to restrict the cultivation of GMOs on their territory. So it’s not only science, it’s also what citizens’ concerns are.

I am very aware of the Court of Justice decision of 2018. I fully respect it and I believe we should work towards its implementation. I would formulate a position once I have all the information, working with you and other stakeholders. I also noted you asked ‘Will you respect and say yes to democracy and listen to this Parliament?’ I may not be able to commit to many things, but I will commit to two things. Yes, I always respect democracy, and the second one, and it wasn’t empty words, is that I will listen to Parliament and I intend to be available and work closely with you, because on a lot of these issues, like GMOs, like new breeding techniques, Parliament has played a crucial role in highlighting them, bringing forward resolutions, and that has led to change. So I look forward to be able to work with Parliament, the Member States and other stakeholders to take this forward. Again, at the risk of sounding monotonous, this is part of what I see in my farm-to-fork strategy.

Tilly Metz (Verts/ALE).–You say that there are only GMOs that are safe. We know that there are gaps in the EFSA assessment. They don’t address herbicide residues such as glyphosate and glufosinate, which are toxic to reproduction.But you answered the question on the democratic legitimacy and I’m glad about that, but for the traceability of new GMOs to be possible we also urgently need detection methods to be developed and we need you to lead the way.Are you committed to doing so?

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner-designate.–First of all, I am very aware that EFSA is under mypolitical responsibility and I will never hesitate if I see that there is something that I need to belooking into, to look into it.

The second thing is that, I personally would want to look at new breeding techniques in terms of the information that comes out, in terms of the science that is provided and if we need a new framework, I would definitely not hesitate in looking into that. I am very aware of the lack of citizens’ trust but more aware of citizens’ concern. So we cannot move forward without making sure we are transparent, in order to be sure that people trust what we are offering. And people need to know where the food at their table comes from and what environment their children aregrowing up in. » (P.20-21)

« Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner-designate. (…) :Someone–I’m not sure which parliamentarian–spoke before about the importance of science,and we must not lose sight of this. So I think it is extremely important when we were talking about endocrine disruptors, about neonics, about new breeding techniques, and about pesticides, that we do look at the science that is there.

The general food law will, I hope, change the level of transparency that has been a big problem increating citizen mistrust, but I can’t commit in a louder way to the lowering of the dependence of pesticides and to finding low-risk alternatives.

That is because it is part of what I considered to be one-health. It is parts of farm to fork, it is part of Green Deal and we cannot talk about one-health if we don’t look at the whole area, and thisincludes human, environment and animal and plant health. » (P.30)

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