Serbia: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Serbia has not yet adopted the changes to the current Law on Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMOs”) that would make it World Trade Organization (WTO) compliant, despite strong engagement by the European Union (EU), the United States, and other WTO members. The current “Law on GMOs” strictly prohibits the importation, production, or commercial growing of genetically engineered crops. When adopted, the new “Law on GMOs” will represent the general framework for biotechnology in Serbia and would also create a mechanism for genetically engineered (GE) crops and products to be reviewed by the government for consideration to import and cultivation. The restrictive Law continues to be one of the main obstacles to Serbia’s accession to the WTO. The European Commission’s Progress Report for 2014, specifically noted that Serbia needs to align its agricultural biotechnology legislation with the EU’s legislation to enable WTO accession.
