On Tuesday 6 May, the EU institutions held their first political meeting on the rules governing the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs).
The Polish Presidency of the EU Council and the European Parliament presented their respective mandates, and each institution seemed to remain firm in its position on the most contentious issues, such as the assessment criteria for categories 1 and 2 of plants derived from NTGs. NTG plants, considered equivalent to conventional plants (category 1), would be exempt from the requirements of GMO legislation, unlike category 2 plants.
Concerning the assessment criteria, the Council of the EU has adopted the provisions of the initial proposal (for category 1 NTGs, no more than 20 nucleotides may be modified or added). The European Parliament has provided additional rules. Other controversial issues include patents and traceability (see EUROPE 13616/11).
The next political trilogue is scheduled for 30 June, while numerous technical meetings are planned. During the initial technical meetings, the issue of category 2 NTGs was discussed.
Read the ‘four columns’ document: https://aeur.eu/f/gor (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)