general remarks
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Legal action against GMO
Dr. Christoph PalmeThe Institute for nature protection and nature
protection law Tübingen, Germany
Herrmannsdorf, 14.10.2006
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
General remarks
What for measures can be targeted in the courts?
Who has legal standing?
Necessity of early action and advise
Basic terms and concepts
Biased scientists as real judges
No precedences/new statutes/fishy rulescontroversial legal issuesdetailed examination of each single case indispensable
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Right to be free from hunger (Art. 11 para 2 international covenant on social
rights)
The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, shall take, individually and through international co-operation, the measures, including specific programmes, which are needed:
(a) To improve methods of production, conservation and distribution of food by making full use of technical and scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the principles of nutrition and by developing or reforming agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most efficient development and utilization of natural resources;
(b) Taking into account the problems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries, to ensure an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need.
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Right to be free from hunger (Art. 11 para 2 international covenant on social
rights)
Combatting hunger as main issue
significance in international law: primarily in politics, only indirecty in legal terms
significance in the respective state: depends on its constitution and the whether hunger is an issue
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
WTO law
• Current state of the panel proceedings
• fairy tales and the truths of the panel decision
• double standard of the EU-commission regarding• risk assessments?
• pivotal statements of the panel report
• the role of the protocol of cartagena
amicus brief?
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Penal law/offenses regarding German GE Law
Which persons can be involved?
Unauthorises experimental release: 3 years/fine
Unauthorised placing on the market:
- 1 year/fine, if negligent- 3 years/fine, if intentional- 3 years also if putting in peril objectsof legal protection by
negligence
- International aspects (Bayer LL601)
- ample offenses in German GE law
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
EU-law/proceedings instituted by states
• potential subject matters
• admissibility
• legal grounds
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
EU-law/proceedings instituted by citizens
potential subject matters
admissibility
preliminary ruling
legal grounds
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Review of the German GE law
German Constitution
EU-law
International covenants
Existing law probably in line
§ 34 a BNatSchG?§ 28 a GenTG?
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Infringement of the Seehofer draft
legalisation of contaminations stemming from experimental releases
state funded compensation scheme
Protection of ecologically sensitive areas
0,9 threshold does not secure use of property of GMO-free production
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Infringement of the Seehofer draft
Organic farmers not sufficienty protected
good professional practice not sufficientNecessity of two gpp-regimes? (one for
conventional/one for organic farming?)
"Specifying" of joint and several liability
limits in permitting derogations by private parties (Märka Modell)
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
litigation against experimental releases
- concept of experimental release delimitation of experiments with
GM- products
- Who may litigate? - legal grounds: - environment/health
issues - co-existence - nature protection - simplified
procedures- preclusive effects?
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Litigation of environmental NGOs against GMO in general
currently no general litigation possibilities
be it experimental or commercial releases
Aarhus-Convention does NOT cover GMOs
---> the only rewarding approach is using protected areas as legal vehicle
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Litigation of NGOs against GMO at areas protected by national
law
Statutary protection status miserablethough by invoking higher ranking
european law and the german constitution, the following seems possible:
dispensation procedure at areas protected
by national law grants right of action
GMOs near areas protected by national law
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Litigation of NGOs against GMO at areas protected by european
law
If area is designated, right of action within the dispensation procedureseven if not in but near of the area
If area so far is only listed, some german
state laws prescribe impact assessment
usually no right of action in those cases
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Litigation of NGOs against GMO at areas protected by european
law
Notified areas may grant right of action in case of impact assessment by state law
No right of action if involved:- the balance of notified areas- potential EU-protection areas - actual bird protection areas
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
civil law claims
neighbourhood claimsfarmes/hobby-farmes/bantam campaignsignificant adverse effects
claims against other perpetrators transport/stocking/authorities:relation to plot of land and neighbourhood
law?
claims against supplierswhat if GMO-free is not warranted?interface farmer/consumer below 0,9 %
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Neighourhood actions against experimental
releasesadministrative act shaping private
law?- litigation on termination- litigation on protection measures- litigation on liability is there a co-existence caveat?
defense/liability actions cover:- contamination more than 0,1 % - infringements of property/health
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
Neigbourhood actions against cultivation
switching point: good professional practice
constitutional?
actionable thresholds- without consent: limit of detection- contamination > 0,9 - contamination < 0,9 preliminary ruling?
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
joint and several liability
- alternative and/or cumulative causation
- what potential to damages necessary?
- precedence of assessment of individual
causation share - transport and supply also
comprised? - costs of analysing - level of compensation - partially own fault of claimant
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
GMO-free regions (GFR)
- voluntarily- secured by mixture of
sovereign instruments - general opportunities - municipal actions ag.
experimental releases? - limited prohibition of cultivation? - biosphere reserves etc.
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
GMO-free regions (GFR)
- closed cultivation areas- labelling "without GMO"
- GFR under the open concept of significant adverse effect
- role of constitutional law- demands for EU-framework may
backfire
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
hazardous incidents (LL601 rice/Bayer)
liability action against Bayer in the US?
liability action against Bayer in Germany?
- court of jurisdiction- choice of law governing the case- establishment of fault/assignment of responsibility- scope of damage- effects of subsequent authorisation
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
hazardous incidents (LL601 rice/Bayer)
state liability actions against german authorities
state liability actions against EU-Commission
opting up in hazardous incidents
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
seed thresholds
politically negotiationed < 0, 5 %
Which threshold is legally binding?
current litigation possibilities litigation possibilities in case of
adoption of new thresholds
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
misleading advertising of food companies
freedom of Information actions
actions according to the EU-environmental liability directive
Dr. Christoph Palme Institut für Naturschutz und Naturschutzrecht Tübingen
DISCLAIMER
This presentation of a general overview under no whatsoever circumstance can replace the legal advise and counselling necessary for consideration of the respective case!
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