1.Without prejudice to requirements under other Community legislation, only if a written consent has been given for the placing on the market of a GMO as or in a product may that product be used without further notification throughout the Community in so far as the specific conditions of use and the environments and/or geographical areas stipulated in these conditions are strictly adhered to.
2.The notifier may proceed with the placing on the market only when he has received the written consent of the competent authority in accordance with Articles 15, 17 and 18, and in conformity with any conditions required in that consent.
3.The written consent referred to in Articles 15, 17 and 18 shall, in all cases, explicitly specify:
(a)the scope of the consent, including the identity of the GMO(s) to be placed on the market as or in products, and their unique identifier;
(b)the period of validity of the consent;
(c)the conditions for the placing on the market of the product, including any specific condition of use, handling and packaging of the GMO(s) as or in products, and conditions for the protection of particular ecosystems/environments and/or geographical areas;
(d)that, without prejudice to Article 25, the notifier shall make control samples available to the competent authority on request;
(e)the labelling requirements, in compliance with the requirements laid down in Annex IV. The labelling shall clearly state that a GMO is present. The words ‘This product contains genetically modified organisms’ shall appear either on a label or in a document accompanying the product or other products containing the GMO(s);
(f)monitoring requirements in accordance with Annex VII, including obligations to report to the Commission and competent authorities, the time period of the monitoring plan and, where appropriate, any obligations on any person selling the product or any user of it, inter alia, in the case of GMOs grown, concerning a level of information deemed appropriate on their location.
4.Member States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that the written consent and the decision referred to in Article 18, where applicable, are made accessible to the public and that the conditions specified in the written consent and the decision, where applicable, are complied with.