Harmonizing regulations between countries
Efforts are also being made to harmonize regulations between countries. For instance, in South Africa, the applicants do not need a permit for using a product from transgenic crop, if the product is approved for use in USA. However, they still need clearance for field trials and commercial cultivation of transgenic crops. In European Union (EU), regulation is complex and the approval may be needed at the individual country level as well as at the level of the Union. Theoretically, once a product is approved in one EU country, it applies to all other EU countries. For marketing, however, companies like to register the product in each country separately.