GMO standards in South East Europe: assessing a GMO index within the process of EU integration

Regulatory approvals for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) vary significantly from country to country. Countries in South East Europe (SEE) are no different and have developed their own specific regulations for GMOs. Thus, the objective here is to create a GMO regulation index for 6 SEE countries and to consider changes in GMO regulations in countries undergoing the process of EU integration. First, we created a composite index of GMO regulatory restrictiveness. How GMO policies are affected by arable land, rural population, democracy, and GDP, model is assessed using a suitable panel data. The results of our research show significant polarization in legislation among the countries analyzed, a significant effect on restrictive GMO regulation based on the arable land per capita, level of democracy and GDP per capita. Also, the regulation of GMOs in these countries is in the process of being adjusted to EU legislation. Because these countries aspire to become EU member states, a need has emerged for different marketing and communication strategies regarding GMOs.