Italian Biosafety Clearing-House

In 2005 the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea Protection established the Italian Biosafety Clearing House for the purpose of:

• implementing the obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety;
• complying with the European Union legislative framework on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs);
• following up on the provisions of the Aarhus Convention, on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, and of the Almaty Amendment, on public participation in decisions on the deliberate release into the environment and placing on the market of GMOs;
• complying with the Italian legislation on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs.

The Italian BCH is divided into eight sections:

Section 1: The Cartagena Protocol and its implementation;

Section 2: Biosafety with general principles on risk assessment and risk management;

Section 3: European Union and Italian legislation;

Section 4: Public Information to ensure adequate public participation on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs for experimental and commercial purposes;

Section 5: Public Consultation on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs for experimental purposes;

Section 6: Capacity-Building for the development and the strengthening of human resources and of institutional capacities in biosafety;

Section 7: Publications;

Section 8: Glossary.