On Tuesday 21 April, the EU Council of Ministers formally adopted the regulation (https://aeur.eu/f/lmp ) governing the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs).
Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia voted against, while Belgium, Bulgaria and Germany abstained (see EUROPE 13846/1).
Countries such as Austria argue that waiving all risk assessments for category 1 NGT plants and their products runs counter to the precautionary principle and the Cartagena Protocol. Furthermore, Austria maintains that consumers have a right to information and freedom of choice. The absence of labelling requirements for products derived from category 1 NGT plants (with the exception of plant reproductive material) considerably limits this freedom of choice and is therefore deemed unacceptable.
As for European Parliament, the text on NGTs and any amendments is expected to be put to a vote at the second reading during plenary session on 19 or 20 May. The vote on the text and amendments within Parliament’s Committee on Environment is scheduled for 5 May (see EUROPE 13850/3).
While patent rules remain governed by the EU’s biotechnology directive, the regulation stipulates that NGT-1 plant developers must provide information on relevant patents in a public database and that they may, on a voluntary basis, indicate their intentions regarding licensing on fair terms. A group of experts will be set up to assess the impact of patents on plants derived from NGTs.
Country statements: https://aeur.eu/f/lm3 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)