International

Last week I was in New York for a UN women's conference. But you can't turn your back for a minute. By the back door, a decision was taken on the cultivation of genetically manipulated potatoes and the sale of GM maize in the EU. And I still haven't had an answer to my parliamentary questions of 22nd February on the subject. The spokesperson for the European Commission had explicitly reassured us with the announcement that no approval was in the offing. The first actual personal policy decision taken by European Commissioner for Health and Consumers John Dalli was the liberalisation of the cultivation of potatoes whose genome has been altered. This member of the Commission, who comes from the potato-growing island of Malta, has the improvement of public health and the safety of foodstuffs in his portfolio. In my view, food that has been tinkered belongs in neither category.

Declaring that she was 'proud and grateful with heart and soul', Agnes Kant has resigned as leader of the Socialist Party. Kant was elected leader following the resignation of Jan Marijnissen on health grounds almost two years ago.