European Union environment ministers agreed today the latest set of new controls on genetically modified organisms that could eventually lead the bloc to reopen its markets to GM foods.
"We have got a majority in favour of a solution," Danish environment minister Mr Hans Christian Schmidt said at the end of a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels that he chaired.
The new rules require ships carrying bulk grain to declare whether the shipments contain GM products. The regulation now requires the agreement of the European Parliament.
The EU has had a virtual ban on most GM crops since 1999 pending tougher regulations to ensure they do not pose environmental or health risks.