News in brief

GM approvals

The European Commission on Tuesday (2 March) ruled that a genetically modified (GM) variety of potato, Amflora, can be cultivated in the EU. It also approved three GM maize varieties for import.Biomass criteria

The Commission last Thursday (25 February) decided against the introduction of EU-wide sustainability criteria for biomass. Binding targets would be too costly, it said. Security strategy

Ministers on Thursday approved an internal security strategy to counter cross-border threats, and established a standing committee of police chiefs to oversee co-operation. The committee’s first meeting is on 11 March. OLAF’s leadership

MEPs have warned that lack of consultation with the Parliament before the appointment of Nicholas Ilett as acting head of OLAF “puts at risk all cases” currently being investigated by the anti-fraud office. Ilett was appointed acting director-general of OLAF after the death of Franz-Hermann Brüner in January.

German data

Germany’s constitutional court on Tuesday struck down a national law on the storage of electronic data. The court did not find fault with the underlying EU law, from which it derived.

Aid to Haiti

The Commission said on Tuesday that its first €100m in medium-term aid to earthquake-struck Haiti will be spent on rebuilding roads, schools and government buildings and on paying government salaries. Two commissioners – Catherine Ashton (foreign policy) and Kristalina Georgieva (humanitarian aid) – arrived in Haiti on Tuesday to assess the island’s needs.

Aid to Chile

The Commission is sending €3 million in emergency aid to help the victims of the earthquake that struck Chile last Saturday (27 February)Atlantic storm

France will ask the EU to help fund the recovery of Atlantic regions devastated by a storm last weekend (27-28 February). The storm, which killed more than 60 people, also affected Germany, Portugal, Spain and Belgium.

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