ABSTRACT
Delegates from the scientific-technical side of the administration who were involved in risk assessment of genetically modified organisms followed the scientific developments and publications as part of their daily work. Oral presentations during lunch-time or evening seminars were used as additional ways of providing information on or interpretation of scientific findings related to the field of the negotiations, i.e. effects of living modified organisms (LMO) on the environment and human health. The example of oilseed rape was communicated in the biosafety negotiations and influenced the debate on containment of LMOs and the relevant definitions as well as on the annex on risk assessment. The ‘Pusztai case’ has had such a major influence on the general debate in the European Union about the potential risks of genetically modified organisms as well as on the global biosafety negotiations because it was disseminated so widely via the mass media.
