On Wednesday 24 January, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee reached a majority position on the amended proposal governing the use of new genomic techniques.
The Greens/EFA and The Left groups issued a statement after the vote to express their dissatisfaction with the European Commission’s proposal, and the S&D group is largely unhappy with the outcome of the vote, which failed to take into account its amendments (see EUROPE 13334/3).
The report by Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, Swedish) on this dossier was adopted after a marathon vote, with 47 votes in favour, 31 against and 2 abstentions. The European Parliament’s plenary vote on this legislation is scheduled for the session from 5 to 8 February in Strasbourg.
According to Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French), “the right, the far right and the liberals are authorising the cultivation of new GMOs without any consumer information and without any protection for farmers who do not want them”.
EPP, Renew Europe and ECR compromise amendments were endorsed, sometimes after a close vote, while alternative compromises (e.g. S&D, Greens/EFA, The Left) were rejected (see EUROPE 13333/14).
There are two different categories and two sets of rules. NGT plants considered equivalent to conventional plants (NGT 1 plants) would be exempt from the requirements of GMO legislation, unlike category 2 plants.
MEPs accept the provisions under which NGT plants should remain banned from organic production.
For NGT 1 plants, MEPs amended the proposed rules on the size and number of modifications required for an NGT plant to be considered equivalent to conventional plants. MEPs also want NGT seeds to be labelled accordingly and for a public online list of all NGT 1 plants to be drawn up. Although there is no compulsory labelling for NGT 1 plants, MEPs want the Commission to report on how consumers and producers perceive the new techniques seven years after the directive came into force.
With regard to NGT 2 plants, MEPs agreed to maintain the requirements of GMO legislation, including compulsory labelling of products. MEPs agreed to a fast-track procedure for risk assessment, taking into account its potential to contribute to a more sustainable agri-food system, while stressing that the so-called ‘precautionary principle’ must be respected.
Ban on patents. MEPs are calling for a total ban on patents for all NGT plants, plant material, parts thereof and genetic information, in order to avoid legal uncertainty and increased costs and dependency for farmers and breeders. They are calling for a report by June 2025 on the impact of patents on breeders’ and farmers’ access to diverse plant breeding material, and for a legislative proposal to update EU rules on intellectual property rights accordingly.
Parliament is expected to adopt its mandate at the plenary session from 5 to 8 February, after which it will be ready to begin negotiations with the EU Council.
IFOAM Organics Europe welcomed the fact that a majority of MEPs from all political groups support a ban on NGTs in organic production, “but traceability provisions and coexistence measures going beyond the minimum transparency in seed lots proposed by the European Commission are needed”, according to the organisation.
For Mute Schimpf of Friends of the Earth Europe, the vote “is a slap in the face for farmers and consumers”, because this European Parliament committee “ignores the fundamental rights of citizens and the principles of nature protection in order to pander to industry lobbies, but there is still time to act”. This organisation is asking European Parliament to bury this proposal during the plenary vote. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)