7.2.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 34/29 COMMISSION DECISION of 13 January 2006 authorising the placing on the market of foods and food ingredients produced from genetically modified Roundup Ready maize line GA21 as novel foods or novel food ingredients under Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2005) 5940) (Only the French and Dutch texts are authentic) (2006/69/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 1997 concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients ('), and in particular Article 7 thereof, Whereas: (1) On 24 July 1998, Monsanto submitted to the competent authorities of the Netherlands a request, in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 258/97, for placing on the market foods and food ingredients derived from genetically modified maize line GA21 as novel foods or novel food ingredients. (6) With respect to the use of the product as or in feed, Monsanto submitted, on 12 December 1997, a notification under Part C of Council Directive 90/220/EEC (). The opinion adopted on 22 September 2000 by the Scientific Committee on Plants concluded that there is no evidence to indicate that the placing on the market of GA21 maize for this use is likely to cause any adverse effects on human health and the envir- onment. However, the application was withdrawn for commercial reasons. Article 46(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed () provides that requests submitted under Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 258/97 before the date of application of this Regulation shall be processed under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 258/97, notwithstanding Article 38 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, in cases where the additional assessment report required in accordance with () In its initial assessment report of 21 December 1999, the . 1 Netherlands’ competent food assessment body came to dee 6(3) or d6(4) (ilfRCegUIatl.Oﬂ. (ECI)) fNO 2}518/37 hasf the conclusion that GA21 maize and foodstuffs and food ee? trgnsm?e tol the orgmmsmn ¢ o(r;z,)t ¢ date o ingredients made from it are as safe to eat as maize and application of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003. maize products that have not been genetically modified. (3)  The Commission forwarded the initial assessment report (8)  The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission to all Member States on 18 February 2000. Within the (RC) in collaboration with the European Network of 60-day period laid down in Article 6(4) of Regulation GMO Laboratories (ENGL), has validated a method for (EC) No 258/97, reasoned objections to the marketing of detection of GA21 maize. The JRC has carried out a full the product were raised in accordance with that validation study (ring-trial) following internationally provision. accepted guidelines to test the performance of a quanti- tative event-specific method to detect and quantify the (4  On 18 May 2000, the Commission requested an opinion GA21 t.ransformatlon event in maize. The materials from the Scientific Committee on Foods (SCF) in needed in the study had been provided by Monsanto. accordance with Article 11 of Regulation (EC) The JRC has considered that the method performance No 258/97. On 27 February 2002 the SCF delivered was appropriate for its aimed purpose, taken into its opinion that from the point of view of consumer account ~ the performanFe criteria  proposed by. the health, GA21 maize and derived products are as safe as ENGL for methods submitted for regulatory compliance grain and derived products from conventional maize as well as the current scientific understanding about satis- lines (3). In delivering its opinion the SCF considered all factory method Perff)rmance. Both the.method and the specific questions and concerns raised by the Member results of the validation have been published by the JRC. States. (5 On 24 April 2002, Monsanto asked to limit the request (9 Reference material for GA21 maize has been produced to food and food ingredients produced from genetically modified maize line GA21. by the JRC. () O] L 117, 851990 p. 15. Directive repealed by Directive (') OJ L 43, 14.2.1997, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 18822003 (O] L 284, 31.10. 2003, p. 1). () hittp:/|europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scffindex_en.html 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (O] L 106, 17.4.2001, p. 1). () OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 1.