Malta is opposed to European Commission proposals concerning the placement on the market of genetically modified products for cultivation, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech said.

He made the declaration at a meeting of the General Affairs Council, where he stressed that the scientific evidence provided on the subject had not convinced many governments or European citizens about the environmental and health risks involved.

Mr Grech cautioned the Commission against merely looking at legislative procedural issues when the vast majority of Member States and citizens were against the proposal. It would be unwise and unproductive for the Commission not to heed to these concerns, he said.

The General Affairs Council was discussing a dossier on the Commission proposal on genetically modified maize which was presented by Maltese Commissioner  Tonio Borg. It followed  the latest judgment of the Court of Justice.

The Deputy Prime Minister proposed that a discussion is reactivated on the Cultivation Proposal in order to have a practical, clear as well as legally robust legal framework which would truly allow Member States the possibility to opt-out from the cultivation of genetically modified crops on their territories, if they choose to do so.