The center-right governing GERB party has proposed that all cultivation of GM crops should be banned for 5-years, in a change to the new GMO Act.

After a meeting of the Parliamentary Group of the center-right governing GERB party, Group Co-Chair, Iskra Fidosova, announced that GM crop trials should be banned for 5 years on the territory of Bulgaria.

Fidosova added that the decision would mean that the controversial changes to the GMO act would have to be altered before their second hearing next week. The original changes which were passes at their 1st parliament hearing in January, were made to bring Bulgaria in-line with European legislation. They allowed for GM crop trials immediately of many crops and laboratory testing of GMO cultures.

Fidosova explained “next week's second reading will have to include a change in the number of texts and will require drafting amendments to the bill on GMOs, whilst ensuring compliance with the European directive on the matter.”

GERB also announced that, through their MEPs, they will try to push for the introduction of an EU ban on GM crop trials and commercial growing.

Environment Minister, Nona Karadzhova, concluded that the ban, that will mean a ban on any cultivation of all GM crops in the country, was a good compromise and stressed that the change in policy was due to the Bulgarian public’s negative opinion on GMOs.