Democratising the policy process on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms

The issue of the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment was posed as a policy problem. This was perhaps unavoidable since one of the reasons why the contained use of GMOs was regulated was that an unintentional release should be prevented. It was perceived as a problem with manifold aspects which could only be dealt with by appealing to science, manageability and social conventions. This threefold appeal to fundamental institutions of society implied a threefold reduction of the problem of regulating the release of GMOs into the environment. However, it is argued that a discursive policy process is needed to achieve an integrative approach to the problem; in the mean time discursive forms of Technology Assessment has been conceptualized (R. Von Schomberg, 1995). In the Netherlands, for example, this discursive approach has been tried to some extent. Drawing upon experience the author has gained during a EU funded study (Levidow et al., 1995), he argues that only a discursive policy process can overcome the problems of decision making in the context of uncertainties.