Law No. 96-Z on safety of GMO.

This Law establishes legal and organizational basis for ensuring safety of genetic engineering and is aimed at the protection of public health and environment. The main principles of ensuring the safety of genetically engineered activities shall be as follows: (a) taking precautions when performing genetic engineering activities; (b) scientifically grounded, integrated and individual approaches to risk assessment of possible harmful effects of genetically engineered organisms on human health and the environment; (c) independence of state expertise of genetically engineered organisms safety; and (d) access to information in the field of genetically engineered activity safety. Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs engaged in genetic engineering activities must: (a) comply with the requirements of safety of genetic engineering activity established by normative legal acts and technical normative legal acts; (b) plan and implement measures to ensure safety of their genetically engineered activities; (c) obtain permit for release of nonpathogenic genetically engineered organisms into the environment for carrying out tests in the environment; (d) use only those varieties of genetically engineered plants, breeds of genetically engineered animals and strains of nonpathogenic genetically engineered microorganisms for which there is a certificate of their state registration for economic purposes; (e) ensure separate keeping of genetically engineered organisms during their transportation and storage; (f) submit for state expertise of safety of genetically engineered organisms and state registration of varieties of genetically engineered plants, breeds of genetically engineered animals and strains of nonpathogenic genetically engineered microorganisms documents containing complete and reliable information on safety of genetically engineered organisms; (g) provide information on the safety of genetically engineered activities to interested citizens and public associations at their request; (h) organize and carry out production control in the field of genetically engineered activity safety; and (i) fulfill instructions of authorized state bodies and their officials, who carry out state control in the field of genetically engineered activity safety, on elimination of revealed violations of legislation on safety of genetically engineered activity. The Act consists of seven Chapters divided into 29 articles: (1) general provisions; (2) state management of genetic engineering; (3) duties of the persons carrying out genetic engineering and safety requirements thereof; (4) state expertise of GMO; (5) access to information, registration and statistics related to GMO; (6) control of genetic engineering; and (7) conclusive provisions. The Act shall be applicable to foodstuffs and animal feed. The principles of ensuring safety of GMO shall be: (a) safety arrangements; (b) environmental impact assessment of GMO; (c) independence of the state GMO safety expertise; (d) access to information. Safety of GMO shall be ensured by compulsory state registration and state expertise thereof. Release into environment of conditionally pathogenic or pathogenic GMO for testing shall be prohibited. Use of plant and animal genetically modified species shall be authorized after registration thereof by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Citizens and social associations shall be granted access to complete, timely and reliable information on GMO.