Negotiations between the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU and European Parliament negotiators on the rules for the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs) will begin during the week of 5 May (see EUROPE 13600/1).
Before that, the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment will have to vote on 8 April to validate the start of negotiations with the Council of the EU, on the basis of the unchanged 2023 mandate.
The main areas of disagreement between the institutions are the traceability and labelling rules for plants obtained using NGTs, the issue of patents and the criteria for the category of category 1 NGT plants (plants considered equivalent to conventional plants, which, unlike category 2 NGT plants, are exempt from the requirements of GMO legislation).
The European Parliament negotiators are: Antonio Decaro (S&D, Italian), as Chair of the European Parliament ‘s Committee on Environment, and the EPP rapporteur, Jessica Polfjärd (Swedish), as in the previous mandate.
The appointed shadow rapporteurs are Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French), Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, German), Silvia Sardone (PfE, Italian), Anja Hazekamp (The Left, Dutch) and Pietro Fiocchi (ECR, Italian).
Mr Clergeau explained to journalists last week that the key issue was traceability. “Because if we make traceability technically and legally possible, all sorts of things become possible”. The second issue, in his view, is the “instability” of NGTs (risks associated with genome modifications, involuntary mutations). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur with Florent Servia)