The French National Assembly (lower house of parliament) blocked the passage of the long-awaited law on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Tuesday, passing a technical veto by a one-vote majority. However, a committee charged with resolving parliamentary disputes decided on Wednesday to retable it unchanged. Many members of the ruling, centre-right UMP party were absent for Tuesday's debate on the controversial bill, and the Socialist parties were able to take advantage of this to close down the final reading. This has been seen in France as a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy's leadership. The much-debated text had been adopted by the upper house, the Senate, on April 16, although the far-left parties had walked out in protest.
展开▼
