EU READIES FOR NEW TALKS ON CROP TREATY
Jan. 18/00
Dow Jones
By Philip Shishkin
Special to The Wall Street Journal Europe
BRUSSELS
The European Union is, according to this story, preparing a fresh push for a highly contentious international treaty aimed at helping developing countries gain more control over imports of genetically modified wheat and soybeans. Talks on the so-called Bio-Safety Protocol collapsed about a year ago in Colombia amid strong opposition from the "Miami Group" of crop-exporting countries that were reluctant to sign on to the EU's "precautionary principle." EU officials were cited as admitng that this year's negotiations -- to be held in Montreal Jan. 24-28 -- face major obstacles again. "I have no doubts that it will be difficult," said Margot Wallstroem, the EU's environment commissioner.