Barroso tucks into hot potato

"What has got into José Manuel Barroso, who used to be a more than able tactician?" wonders Le Soir in the wake of the European Commission's decision to authorize the cultivation of Amflora, a GMO potato produced by German industrial giant BASF. On an issue which, the Brussels' daily notes, has divided public opinion, "Was it really necessary for the Commission to choose its camp — officially in the name of ‘responsible innovation’ but clearly disregarding the precautionary principle that has informed policy over the last 12 years?" Le Soir voices its outrage at a decision "that was unanimously approved at the conclusion of a written procedure, without any real debate between the members of the Commission," and its timing: "the Barroso commission had yet to take an important decision. This will count as the first!"