Divided we stand: The EU as dissonant player in the global governance of agro-food biotechnology

摘要

The European backlash against agro-food biotechnology led to an unparalleled tightening of the EU's regulatory framework and a protracted legal row between the EU and a group of agro-exporting countries led by the Untied States. This essay aims at rendering transparent the EU's policy rationale in this transatlantic and, in its implications, global controversy. Taking a close look at the EU's biotechnology policy both from a domestic and a global perspective the study stresses the link between the ongoing internal dissension on agro-food biotechnology within the EU, the EU's efforts manage this conflict, and its involvement in the building of an emerging system of biotechnology's global governance, with the EU acting as a promoter of a precautionary and consumer oriented approach. The study concludes with pointing at various ironies brought about by the EU's engagement at both the domestic and global level and sets the stage for tentative forecasts on future trends in the global biotech arena.