Risks Management of Genetically Modified Organisms in the European Union

Abstract

Genetically modified organisms’ development and commercialization has been a subject of public debate for almost two decades. The risk of GMO commercialization, irreversibility, and unpredictable long-term consequences have been of special interest. Thus, risk analysis and risk governance are perceived as a state-of-the-art issue in terms of a norm setting process. This article analyses the legal solutions for regulating GMOs’ risk governance introduced in the European Union. EU legislation in the area of GMOs is an example of a stringent model of risk governance based on the precautionary principle and the dispersal of competencies between supranational, state, regional, and individual levels. The aforementioned model is an example of both Europeanization with a spill-over effect and counter-Europeanization. Moreover, the model can be defined as polycentric governance, where horizontal and vertical integration is present.