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The Cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms in the E uropean U nion: A Necessary Trade‐Off?
Author(s) -
Randour François,
Janssens Cédric,
Delreux Tom
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/jcms.12149
Subject(s) - counterintuitive , legislature , corporate governance , genetically modified organism , international trade , political science , economics , business , biology , genetics , management , law , gene , philosophy , epistemology
This article analyzes the reasons why in 2010 the E uropean C ommission proposed a legislative framework on genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) that could give some powers back to the M ember S tates. This legislative proposal is puzzling since it moves the centre of decision‐making regarding the cultivation of GMOs from the EU level back to the domestic level and it also contradicts the generally acknowledged behaviour of the C ommission as a competence maximizer. Using a multilevel governance perspective and based on an extensive literature review and semi‐structured interviews, the article examines the dynamics and relationships between the various levels of governance that generated pressures on the C ommission to issue this counterintuitive proposal. The findings suggest that the C ommission is making a (necessary) trade‐off between, on the one hand, the respect of international obligations and the preservation of the internal market, and on the other hand, internal pressures towards stricter regulation of GMOs .