ABSTRACT
Biosafety refers to the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity. The United States and the European Union have adopted sharply divergent approaches to dealing with biosafety risks. Transatlantic regulatory polarization has had some influence on how developing countries regulate biosafety risks but has not prevented significant regulatory diversity to emerge in the Global South. The transatlantic divide on biosafety reflects differences in regulatory institutions and styles and conflicting commercial interests, but also differences in cultural values. Despite losing a World Trade Organization dispute over its precautionary genetically modified organism (GMO) rules in 2006, the European Union further strengthened its regulations by introducing a general labeling and traceability requirement for GMOs. Transatlantic regulatory polarization has had some influence on how developing countries regulate biosafety risks but has not prevented significant regulatory diversity to emerge in the Global South.
