Luxembourg is expected to join Austria, France, Greece and Hungary in banning the use and sale of a genetically modified (GM) maize developed by US chemical company Monsanto. ”Last year, EU ministers called for a re-think in the way GM crops are assessed in Europe. Faced with the Commission’s reticence to take these concerns on board, EU countries have no other choice but to protect their citizens and their environment with national bans,” said Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU GMO policy director.

The city of Luxembourg, a European capital, has declared itself a ”GMO-free city” along with two thirds of the local city communes, thereby refusing the release of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) on its lands and in its funded food catering services. The GM-free Luxembourg intitative is a coalition of 25 civil society organisations which founded and launched the ”GM-free Luxembourg” campaign in the summer of 2006. Since then, two thirds of the Communes [local authorities] declared themselves ”GM-free Communes”.