In our opinion, the present approach of Commission decisions in the absence of clear majorities in Council does not seem appropriate to approve GMOs on a routine basis. One way to overcome this democratic deficit would be to establish a ‘positive list’ for approved products similar to the Directive on Food Additives [10xSee all References][10]. In this case, authorisations also require a favourable decision of the European Parliament. Currently, despite the fact that Council and Parliament together adopted the new regulations on GMOs, the role of the Parliament in the implementation phase is limited to formal control. Furthermore, under a reformed comitology regime, the European Parliament should be entitled to act on an equal footing with the Council [6xSee all References][6] as this would encompass the spirit of the future European Constitution (Title III, Art. 35) [11xSee all References][11]. Intervention by the Council and Parliament in the implementation phase should be limited to exceptional cases.Given that the majority of Europeans is opposed to GM food [12xHow can genetically modified foods be made publicly acceptable?. Rowe, G. Trends Biotechnol. 2004; 22: 107–109Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (26)See all References][12], the approval procedure would benefit from increased transparency to the general public. When approving GMO products for use as food and feed the Commission also referred to new provisions on labelling and traceability. For the first time farmers see labels on GM feed. However, products obtained from animals fed with GM feed are not subject to labelling. These exemptions require open communication with the public because the criteria are less stringent compared with GM-free labels, including organic farming [13xSee all References][13] and the international ‘fair-trade’ movement (http://www.fairtrade.net/pdf/sp/english/FLO-Generic%20Environmental%20Standards.SF.pdf; http://www.fairtrade.net/pdf/hl/english/FLO-generic-environmental-standards.HL.pdf). GM-related labelling should enable the final consumer – not only the farmer – to influence agricultural production.