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| (f) GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS - 1. General Information | |
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LAW 160(I)/2003 transposing Directive 18/2001/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms.
Deliberate Release of GMOs for any other purpose than Placing on the Market.
1.Procedure
The applicant submits the completed technical dossier, to the Director of the Environment Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment. At the same time, the applicant also makes an announcement through the press for public consultation. After receiving the application, the Director sends copies to a Scientific Committee. The Committee examines whether the application fulfils the requirements of the Law. For public consultation purposes, announcements are made in the Internet and public hearings are held with interested parties. If the information provided by the applicant is considered to be insufficient then the Scientific Committee decides which actions need to be taken in order to obtain the necessary additional information. When finalizing its work, the Committee sends its opinion to the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment no later than 90 days from the date of the application. The Minister takes the decision for the granting or not of the permit.
In the case of examining an application under the differentiated procedure, the Director of the Environment Service, within 30 days from the receipt of the application under Part B, sends the summary of the dossier to the European Commission. If requested, the Director sends the entire dossier to another Member State. There is a period of 60 days for the Commission or a Member State to give an opinion. The Minister then takes into account the opinion of the European Commission or any other Member State when making the final decision.
A flow chart is attached.
2. Fees
When the application concerns an intended release for the first time in Cyprus, then the fee is CYP 10.000 (17.000 Euros). When the application concerns release of a GMO where a permit has already been given for the same research purpose, the fee is CYP 5.000 (8.500 Euros).When additional information is provided after the submission of the initial application, the fee is CYP 6.000 (10.200 Euro).
3. Public Consultation
Upon submitting an application, the applicant has to publish in two daily newspapers a summary of the information included in the application and inform the public that it can express opinion in writing to the Director of the Environment Service within 30 days of the publication date.
The Scientific Committee is obliged to inform and consult the public about the application. The consultation process should be conducted through a webpage and public hearings.
The public can have access to the following:
· Applications submitted
· Permits granted under
· Additional information provided
· Opinions of the Scientific Committee to the Minister
· Location of intended release
4. Confidentiality
The provision of Article 25 of Dir. 2001/18/EC has been transposed into the national law (Article 50). Commercial or industrial information could be treated as confidential if so requested by the applicant and approved, provided justifiable reasons are given for such a request.
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