March 3, 2009

Germany is set to vote against a European Commission proposal to lift restrictions on genetically modified corn, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said, leaving the decision on a knife-edge.

"Germany will probably vote against lifting the restrictions, unless the commission comes up with new convincing evidence," Gabriel said on arriving for a meeting with his European Union counterparts in Brussels. "But I can't see what arguments it could come up with."

Germany's position left uncertain the result of a vote on the issue, which will be decided along the EU's qualified majority voting system that gives the larger member states like Germany more votes.

The ministers were set to vote later on a call from the commission, the EU's executive arm, to lift provisional bans on growing US biotech giant Monsanto Co.'s (MON) MON810 GM corn which Austria and Hungary have imposed.

The commission is also setting its sights against France and Greece over their use of safeguard clauses, which make the growing of the controversial corn illegal until there is a review of the EU's 2004 approval of MON810.

If there isn't a qualified majority opposed to the commission's decisions then the Brussels executive will be in a position to impose the right to grow the GM corn.

According to the latest straw poll, the opposition camp was narrowly short of its target, including Germany's votes. Three countries - Spain, Belgium and Estonia - had still not declared their position, leaving the result in the balance.

"We'll see," said Spain's Secretary of State for Climate Change Teresa Ribera Rodriguez.

Gabriel insisted the public misgivings over GMOs should be heeded.

"I don't see why we should follow the interests of one American company and anger the citizens in EU member states," he said.