UP to now, no transgenic crops have been planted commercially in the European Union. There are many trial plots, but nothing grown in Europe has yet reached the shops. Nor there are many imports. The EU's approval process for novel crops is slow, causing tension with US suppliers who want to boost European sales. The regime is actually getting stricter. New proposals by the European Commission seek to toughen licensing conditions for new crops and build "ethical considerations" into the approval process.