Niveau juridique : Union européenne
Texte de la question :
« Austria is at the forefront of GM-free agriculture and food production. Both politicians and the wider population are largely opposed to the Commission’s draft regulation on the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs) in plant breeding.[1][2][3]
1.92 % of Austrians are calling for NGT products to be subject to the same strict controls as products derived from older genetic modification techniques, 70 % are opposed to simpler and faster approval processes for NGT products, and 94 % are calling for these products to be labelled as ‘genetically modified’. According to the Commission, there is significant demand for NGT plants, but these figures clearly show that the general population is not asking for them. Can the Commission say where exactly this demand is coming from?
2.The Austrian Federal Council’s EU Committee has unanimously opposed the draft regulation, in particular because it would no longer allow Member States to impose an effective ban on the cultivation of all genetically modified plants on the basis of a national decision. How does the Commission justify the abolition of the opt-out rule?
3.What is the Commission’s view on the fact that the use of NGTs could lead to new dependencies on chemical and agricultural companies? »
[1] food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-09/gmo_biotech_ngt_proposal_2023-411_en.pdf
[2] www.handelsverband.at/presse/presseaussendungen/neue-gentechnik/
[3] www.parlament.gv.at/aktuelles/pk/jahr_2023/pk1147
Réponse donnée par Mme Kyriakides au nom de la Comission européenne le 18 mars 2024
« During the consultations carried out in preparation of the Commission’s proposal on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs), many stakeholders, including a majority of breeder and farmer organisations expressed strong demand for NGT plants in order to be able to respond to the challenges of climate change, reduce dependencies on fertilisers and pesticides, and to be able to grow plants that benefit consumers.
This information, as well as available research of consumer attitudes to NGTs, is included in the impact assessment[1] accompanying the proposal.
One of the objectives of the proposal is to facilitate the cultivation of NGT plants due to their potential to contribute to the sustainability objectives of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.
This objective requires providing predictability to breeders and farmers as regards the possibility to cultivate such plants throughout the EU.
The Commission considers that this objective cannot be sufficiently achieved when leaving the decision to Member States on whether to allow cultivation of these plants in their territory.
The proposal intends to contribute to reducing dependencies of EU agricultural production from inputs and to increase strategic autonomy and resilience through the development of a wide range of plant species and valuable traits, such as pest resistance and nutrient use efficiency.
The proposal also intends to broaden the spectrum of economic and scientific actors applying these technologies in the EU, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public institutions.[2]
At the time of adoption of the proposal, the Commission announced a study on patents in this field to assess concerns expressed, including about risks of dependencies on large corporations. »
• [1] SWD (2023) 412 final.
• [2] For instance, the ongoing EU-funded project GeneBEcon focuses on studying social, economic and regulatory dimensions of the NGT potential for the European Green Deal, the 2030 Climate Target Plan and the Circular Economy Action Plan (cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101061015).
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