The US is currently aggressively insisting on challenging the rights of Europeans to reject genetically modified products, through a WTO dispute settlement procedure. If the WTO deems that the EU is breaking trade rules, it will allow the US to force Europe to approve more GM foods and crops � or face huge financial penalties. The United States is one of the few countries that did not ratify the United Nations Biosafety Protocol, the first treaty that officially seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms. The Protocol enters into force on September 11, 2003.
�Friends of the Earth International September 9 2003