This paper seeks to find possibilities for reconciliation of the implementation of the precautionary principle and the promotion of international trade of genetically modified organisms, based on the assumption that a sustainable development is a right objective to strive for. It starts with an explanation of the background and the role of the precautionary principle, and describes in what way measures based on the precautionary principle can easily lead to the creation of trade barriers. The article then examines to what extent the WTO (World Trade Organisation) Agreements allow the implementation of the precautionary principle. In addition, structural conflicts between the perception of the precautionary principle and the concept of trade liberalisation will be evoked. The last section of the paper analyses to what extent the WTO rules provide possibilities to avoid or solve these conflicts in order to attempt to answer the main question: are the precautionary principle and the international trade of genetically modified organisms reconcilable?