News
European Parliament calls for ban on gene drive technology
9. June 2021
In their report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, which was adopted in the plenary of the European Parliament on 08.06.2021, the parliamentarians demand that "in line with the precautionary principle, no releases of genetically modified gene drive organisms should be allowed, not even for nature conservation purposes."
World Malaria Day: Do we need gene drives to fight malaria?
25. April 2021
Gene drive technology carries high risks. Yet it is being promoted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a solution to malaria. On the occasion of World Malaria Day, the Stop Gene Drives campaign is launching a project that presents different perspectives on the issue of malaria control and highlights alternative, possibly less risky approaches and innovations to combat malaria.
162 organizations call for global gene drive moratorium
20. April 2021
A broad coalition of 162 organizations has written an open letter to Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission. It demands that plants and animals modified using new genetic engineering methods continue to be strictly regulated in the future. Furthermore, the EU Commission should support a worldwide moratorium on gene drive organisms.
Survey: EU citizens reject genetic engineering of wild species with Gene Drives
27. January 2021
An alliance of European NGOs commissioned a representative opinion poll to determine how the European population evaluates gene drive technologyand how well known the issue is.The response of a majority of citizens in eight European countries is: “No, the risks are too high”. This first opinion poll on the subject shows high levels of opposition to and very low levels of support for the use of gene drive technology in the environment.
Online-Discussion: Gene Drives – Protecting People and Nature through Genetic Extermination?
11. November 2020
In an open letter initiated by Greenpeace EU, Friends of the Earth Europe, IFOAM EU and the German initiative Save Our Seeds, 78 environmental, agricultural, animal welfare and development aid organizsations from all over Europe are calling on the EU Commission to outlaw the release of so-called Gene Drive Organisms in the EU and internationally.
78 organizations call on the European Commission to enact a temporary ban on the novel Gene Drive technology
29. June 2020
In an open letter initiated by Greenpeace EU, Friends of the Earth Europe, IFOAM EU and the German initiative Save Our Seeds, 78 environmental, agricultural, animal welfare and development aid organizsations from all over Europe are calling on the EU Commission to outlaw the release of so-called Gene Drive Organisms in the EU and internationally.
29 German Organizations call for a Global Gene Drive Moratorium
19. February 2020
In a joint open letter sent to the ministers Karliczek, Klöckner and Schulze on February 19, 2020, an alliance of 29 German organizations called on the German government to support a global gene drive moratorium in the upcoming international negotiations.
European Parliament calls for a Global Gene Drive Moratorium
16. January 2020
At its plenary session on January 16, 2020, the European Parliament defined its position for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Biodiversity Convention (COP 15 CBD). In their resolution, MEPs call on the EU to support a global moratorium on gene drives in the international negotiations of the CBD in October 2020.
Gene drives regulated for the first time in genetic engineering law
7. June 2019
On June 7, 2019, the Federal Council spoke out in favour of tightening the safety requirements for laboratory experiments with gene drive organisms (GDO) in the Genetic Engineering Safety Ordinance. In addition, it also demands the development of GDO-specific safety measures and calls on the German government to give special weight to nature conservation.
Gene Drive Symposium in Bern – Wiping out unwanted species with CRISPR-Cas?
24. May 2019
An interdisciplinary gene drive symposium was held in Bern on May 24, 2019. A report was published highlighting scientific, ecological, social, ethical and regulatory issues related to the gene drive technology.