The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council submitted a compromise proposal for discussion, on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 May, in the Council working group on the proposal to regulate the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs).
The Presidency is endeavouring to persuade the EU countries to reach a common position in the Council by the end of June on the NGT dossier, now that the European Parliament has adopted its position.
The main change in the text presented to delegations is that the new proposal stipulates that patented plants cannot be considered category 1 NGTs (NGT plants considered traditional plants).
EU countries would also have the option of banning category 2 NGTs (NGT plants subject to the same rules as GMO plants).
On 24 April, the European Parliament validated its first reading position on the rules for the use of NGTs (see EUROPE 13398/21). The next European Parliament following the June elections will decide how to proceed on this issue. The EU Council has not yet taken a position on the proposal (see EUROPE 13379/4). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)