madam president as i have already had the opportunity to state to both the committee on the environment public health and food safety and the committee on agriculture and rural development i cannot but express my disappointment at the failure of conciliation notwithstanding our best efforts to find an agreement
this situation is unfortunate since we had made a lot of progress over recent months on the issues in the novel foods proposals
let me recall some of the elements on which there was clear agreement and which if adopted would bring many improvements to the legislation currently in place a centralised procedure for approval of novel foods which streamlines the authorisation process while maintaining food safety a definition of nanomaterials and the obligation for pre-market approval and a labelling requirement for all food ingredients containing nanomaterials a simplified procedure applicable to traditional foods from third countries to facilitate eu market access for these products and the need for food business operators to share scientific data where tests on animals are involved in order to limit animal testing where possible
these improvements will contribute to europe's innovation drive by facilitating the marketing of novel foods without any compromise on safety
this dossier requires our concerted attention in order to put these improvements in place without further delay
they will bring huge benefits in terms of both consumer protection and innovation in the food sector
it is therefore my hope that we can capture the momentum of negotiations by making a proposal on this issue very shortly
the failure to conclude this dossier came despite a number of positive steps achieved on the issue of cloning during the last months and hours of negotiations
the commission remains committed to following up the report of october twenty ten which i recall proposed the following a temporary suspension for five years of the use of the cloning technique in the eu of the import and use of clones for food production and of food from clones which would be combined with the introduction of traceability systems for imports of semen and embryos from clones
furthermore the commission recognises the progress made during conciliation
it is also clear to me that on the issue of cloning in all its facets we need to find an agreement that can be implemented and one that is justified and proportionate
the commission is ready to come up with a comprehensive proposal after the necessary impact assessment
i welcome the conciliatory tone adopted by mr pittella and by the presidency
we need collectively to reflect further on the next steps and i am ready to discuss with you and with the council possible scenarios to deal with these two important issues and to agree on a process that will guarantee a positive outcome
such a collective reflection should seek to set a course for success on both dossiers so that consumers can reap the benefits
