Green biotechnology and European competitiveness

Europe has led many aspects of gene research and yet it has been unable to translate these discoveries into a globally dominant industrial sector. The re are valid societal, political and financial reasons for its reluctance t o deploy agricultural biotechnology but this reluctance might have unintend ed consequences. It will be hard to de-commoditize agriculture and improve farmer's lives. Research in medical biotechnology and the global environmen t might suffer. Europe could damage its overall economy and its global comp etitive standing.