International issues: Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
The Cartagena Protocol is an international agreement on the transboundary movement of GMOs which seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. The Protocol establishes two main procedures to control the movement of GMOs from one country to another.
A specific notification procedure requires notification to, and the agreement of, the importing country before the export of a GMO (such as a seed) intended for deliberate introduction into the environment may proceed.
A separate procedure for GMOs for food, feed, or for processing enables an importing country to declare via an information exchange mechanism (the Biosafety Clearing House) that it wishes to take a decision based on risk assessment information before agreeing to accept an import.
The EU and the Member States signed the Protocol in May 2000. The European Community ratified the Protocol in August 2002.
Page published 31
October 2003;
Page last modified
17 March, 2006