VZCZCXRO9728
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #0354 0591310
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281310Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2107
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2823

UNCLAS PARIS 000354 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AGMINCOUNSELOR 
STATE FOR OES; EUR/ERA; EEB/TPP/ABT/BTT (BOBO); 
STATE PASS USTR FOR MURPHY/CLARKSON; 
OCRA/CURTIS; 
STA/SIMMONS/JONES/HENNEY/SISSON; 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR SENV ECON ETRD EU FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH SENATOR ON BIOTECH: FRANCE WILL SEEK TO BROADEN 
REVIEW PROCESS DURING EU PRESIDENCY 
 
REF: (A) PARIS 78 (B) PARIS 98 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On February 20, EMIN and AGR officers met with 
French Senator Jean-Francois Le Grand to discuss French perspectives 
on biotech.   Le Grand, who played a key role in the QGrenelle 
consultative process that ultimately resulted in French invocation 
of the safeguard clause on MON810, questioned the long-term impact 
of agricultural bio-technology on the environment and bio-diversity. 
 He called anti-biotech environmental activists Qcircus performers, 
underestimating in our view the impact such activists have on 
agricultural biotechnology in France and Europe.  Le Grand said 
France hoped to advocate its Qnew modelQ on ag biotech Q giving 
voice to non-scientific stakeholders in decision-making on GMO 
approvals Q during its EU presidency.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) A veteran Senator, Jean-Francois Le Grand is a member of the 
Committee for Economic Affairs and a member of the Parliamentary 
Committee for Scientific and Technological Affairs.  He was chosen 
by the French Government to lead the biotechnology and biodiversity 
working groups in the QGrenelleQ environmental consultations of late 
fall 2007.  Following these consultations, he chaired the interim 
biotech committee whose concluding report called for additional 
research on MON810, and subsequently led France to invoke the 
safeguard clause (reftels). 
 
¶3. (U) Senator Le Grand expressed his concern with the unknown 
long-term environmental impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity. 
But he said he supported continuing both bio- and non-biotech 
research, such as developing new technologies for desired trait 
intensification (e.g. drought resistance, through natural crop 
selection).  The latter method would be more readily accepted by 
French consumers and would help maintain biodiversity. 
 
¶4. (U) Politically there was a need to broaden agricultural biotech 
assessments beyond the domain of scientists, to include 
socio-economic stakeholders who could help to create socio-economic 
assessments.  Stakeholder communication -- broad horizontal 
communication between experts as well as vertical communication with 
consumers -- must also be expanded to provide total transparency and 
insure consumer confidence in the assessments, he thought.  This was 
FranceQs Qnew modelQ and, he said, the French political goal is to 
transfer it to the EU to better harmonize biotech policy among the 
Member States. Le Grand said he expects President Sarkozy to 
announce an EU biotech summit during the French EU Presidency, 
perhaps in the early summer. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: As head of FranceQs interim bio-tech committee 
Senator Le Grand was roundly criticized by a number of Senators, and 
scientists, for mismanaging the MON810 dossier.  Senate amendments 
to FranceQs draft bio-tech law giving scientists primacy in making 
GMO recommendations were a clear rebuff to his vision of 
decision-making based on broad stakeholder consultations.  The draft 
law comes up for discussion in the National Assembly in early April 
and we can assume proponents of Le GrandQs approach will hit back. 
Le GrandQs description of anti-biotech activists as Qcircus 
performers,Q rather than extremists, is all-too-common here and, in 
our view, considerably underestimates the impact such groups have on 
the debate.  Their monopoly of the media, and portrayal of 
destructive objectives as noble defense of traditional agriculture, 
contributes to creating an extremely complex environment for 
rational dialogue. 
 
STAPLETON