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sibility of employ a national ban to MON 810 (in force in France, Italy,
Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Greece [3] ).
The case of Swiss federalism, also important for our research is
even more complicated in some aspects. Swiss politics benefits from
its national autonomy as a non-EU member. On the other hand, the
pressure of the WTO agreements is similar to that experienced by EU
members. National politics are finally conditioned by some specific
citizens’ political rights, characteristics of a semi-direct democracy.
As a result of a popular initiative, submitted in September 13, 2003
and voted in November 27, 2005, GMO plants cultivation is banned in
Switzerland. Is this practice of direct democracy in opposition to the
federalist principles? For their critics, in the Swiss case we are dealing
with the imposition of a majority of national citizens against some local
and particular interests, heavily damaged. On the contrary, partisans
of direct democracy consider popular initiatives and referendums as
the culmination of federalist principles: separation of governmental
powers and active role of regions and their citizens.
Our analysis of the debate about GMO plants in regional press
and public spheres of Murcia, Aragon and Saint-Gallen will provide
us some objective arguments in our quest about the link between
political rights, deliberation and federalist principles.
We will try to give an empirically founded answer to the following
questions:
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FEDERALISM, DIRECT
DEMOCRACY AND THE
QUALITY OF PUBLIC
DELIBERATION: THE
GMO DEBATE
José Luis Egío
•
•
•
•
Do the relations of production determine society’s other relationship
and ideas? (Marxist approach)
How can political rights’ theory improve the Marxist conception about
the relationship between facts and ideas?
How does the economical structure of this regions influence the
discussion?
Are citizens’ political rights important regarding to the way in which
the debate takes place? As a result of the difference between Spanish
and Swiss democratic systems we will observe two different types
of public deliberation.
3
Source: http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/gmo-free-regions/bans.html