On Wednesday 26 June, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union finally decided to abandon its efforts to bring EU countries to a common position on the proposal governing the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs).
The Belgian Presidency of the Council decided the previous evening to remove from the agenda of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) the examination of a compromise text aimed in particular at resolving the problem of patenting NGT plants (see EUROPE 13439/18, EUROPE 13417/12).
Poland, which is part of the blocking minority and has sufficient voting power to alter the outcome of the negotiations, has not withdrawn its reservations. As a result, the qualified majority required in the EU Council to obtain a ‘general approach’ on the text has not been reached.
The dossier has been referred to the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council, while the European Parliament has already adopted its position on the proposal concerning the use of new genomic techniques.
The EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca) welcomed “the significant efforts made by the Belgian Presidency of the Council, while reiterating the importance of clarifying and concluding the negotiation process”. In the absence of European legislation on NGTs, “European farmers will be denied one of the essential tools for adapting to climate change and meeting the objectives of reducing the risks and use of pesticides”, laments the organisation. In addition, as a result of this blockage, European farmers are placed at a competitive disadvantage compared to their colleagues in third countries.
The Euroseeds organisation also deplores the failure of the Council negotiations, calling for “urgent action to establish a differentiated regulatory approach for NGTs in Europe in order to support innovation and maintain competitiveness”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)