As a member state of the European Union (EU), France has ceded sovereignty to EU authority in particular policy domains. Biotechnology is one domain where the EU has taken on a dominant role as a regulator, identifying it a key technology needed for economic growth. However, the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically modified (GM) products has arisen as a point of contention between the member states and the EU. France especially has maintained a longstanding position of non-compliance in this issue area, refusing to implement EU legislation that would allow for the development and promotion of agricultural biotechnology. This, in part, is a result of widespread, virulent anti-GM sentiment among the French. But why are the French so resistant to a potentially valuable resource? This paper intends to illustrate how the precedent of the HIV-tainted blood scandal has led to a policy strategy of blame avoidance by French public officeholders, which in turn is exploited successfully by anti-GM interest groups. To do this, we will first review the history of food safety in the EU, including the impact of several public health scandals such as “mad cow” disease and the policy linkage between these scandals and GMO regulation. We will then discuss more specifically how the HIV-tainted blood scandal in France set the stage for abstinence as a blame avoidance policy strategy among French public officeholders. We will finally turn to how France’s longstanding non-compliance with EU regulations in this policy domain is the result of this entrenched abstinence.
