The development of a GIS-based public GMO location register considering the needs of the EU Member States

Abstract

The Directive 2001/18/EC regulates the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment. EU Member States are obligated by this Directive to establish location register to inform the public where GMOs are released into the environment. As a partner within the EU-project PRICE, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) developed a modern, GIS-based location register (GLOREG) for GMOs adaptable to the different needs of the EU member states. Using a questionnaire the BVL asked the Competent Authorities (CAs) under the Directive 2001/18/EC and CAs of non-EU countries in Europe about detailed background information of their current location registers. Most of EU-Member States already implemented the Directive into national law, even if they do not perform any deliberate release or cultivation of GMOs in their country. The CAs distinguish between deliberate release (mostly ‘experiments’) and cultivation of GMOs within their national regulations and notification rules. National regulations also vary regarding the organization of cadastral data in the agrarian landscape. GLOREG considers these differences with adaptable software and modular components. Furthermore, spatial information of GMOs are covered by Directive 2007/2/EC (INSPIRE) and must therefore comply with its requirements for the interoperability of spatial data.