Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques and their food and feed, and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and Directive 98/44/EC (Text with EEA relevance)

(1)Since 2001, when Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (32), on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment was adopted, significant progress in biotechnology has led to the development of new genomic techniques (NGTs), most prominently genome editing techniques that enable changes to be made to the genome at precise locations. Major advances in genetic engineering have already contributed to the widespread use of marker-assisted selection, which makes it possible to identify and mobilise interesting genes that are present in biodiversity.

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32 Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC (OJ L 106, 17.4.2001, p. 1).

(2)NGTs constitute a diverse group of genomic techniques, and each of them can be used in various ways to achieve different results and products. They can result in organisms with modifications equivalent to what can be obtained by conventional breeding methods or in organisms with more complex modifications. Among NGTs, targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis (including intragenesis) introduce genetic modifications without inserting genetic material from non-crossable species (transgenesis). They rely only on the breeders’ gene pool, i.e. the total genetic information that is available for conventional breeding including from distantly related plant species that can be crossed by advanced breeding techniques. Targeted mutagenesis techniques result in modification(s) of the DNA sequence at targeted locations in the genome of an organism. Cisgenesis techniques result in the insertion, in the genome of an organism, of genetic material already present in the breeders’ gene pool. Intragenesis is a subset of cisgenesis resulting in the insertion in the genome of a rearranged copy of genetic material composed of two or more DNA sequences already present in the breeders’ gene pool.

(3)There is ongoing public and private research using NGTs on a wider variety of crops and traits compared to those obtained through transgenic techniques authorised in the Union or globally(33 ). This includes plants with improved tolerance or resistance to plant diseases and pests, plants with tolerance to herbicides, plants with improved tolerance or resistance to climate change effects and environmental stresses, improved nutrient and water-use efficiency, plants with higher yields and resilience and improved quality characteristics. These types of new plants, coupled with the fairly easy and speedy applicability of those new techniques, could deliver benefits to farmers, consumers and to the environment. Thus, NGTs have the potential to contribute to the innovation and sustainability goals of the European Green Deal (34 ) and of the ‘Farm to Fork’ (35 ), Biodiversity (36 ) and Adaptation to Climate Change(37 ) Strategies, to global food security (38 ), the Bioeconomy Strategy (39 ) and to the Union’s strategic autonomy (40 ).

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33 Insights and solutions stemming from EU-funded research and innovation projects on plant breeding strategies may contribute to address detection challenges, ensure traceability and authenticity, and promote innovation in the area of new genomic techniques. More than 1,000 projects were funded under the Seventh Framework Programme and successor Horizon 2020 programme with an investment of over 3 billion Euros. Horizon Europe support to new collaborative research projects on plant breeding strategies is also ongoing, SWD(2021) 92.

34 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, The European Green Deal, COM/2019/640 final.

35 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, COM/2020/381 final.

36 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives, COM/2020/380 final.

37 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions forging a Climate-Resilient Europe - The New EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, COM(2021) 82 final

38 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems, COM (2022) 133 final; Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 2022, Gene editing and agrifood systems, Rome, ISBN 978-92-5-137417-7.

39 European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, A sustainable bioeconomy for Europe – Strengthening the connection between economy, society and the environment: updated bioeconomy strategy, Publications Office, 2018, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/792130.

40 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Trade Policy Review - An Open, Sustainable and Assertive Trade Policy, COM(2021)66 final.

(9)Based on the current scientific and technical knowledge in particular on safety aspects, this Regulation should be limited to GMOs that are plants, i.e. organisms in the taxonomic groups Archaeplastida or Phaeophyceae. Available knowledge on other organisms, such as microorganisms, fungi and animals, should be reviewed with a view to future legislative initiatives on them. For the same reason, this Regulation should only cover plants obtained by certain NGTs: targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis (including intragenesis) (hereinafter ‘NGT plants’), but not by other new genomic techniques. Such NGT plants do not carry genetic material from non-crossable species. GMOs produced by other new genomic techniques that introduce into an organism genetic material from non-crossable species (transgenesis) should remain subject only to the Union GMO legislation, given that the resulting plants might bear specific risks associated to the transgene.

(10)With full regard to the precautionary principle, the legal framework for NGT plants should share the objectives of the Union GMO legislation to ensure a high level of protection of human and animal health and of the environment and the good functioning of the internal market for the concerned plants and products, while addressing the specificity of NGT plants. This legal framework should enable the development and placing on the market of plants, food and feed containing, consisting of or produced from NGT plants and other products containing or consisting of NGT plants (‘NGT products’) so as to contribute to the innovation and sustainability objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork, Biodiversity and Climate Adaptation strategies and to enhance the competitiveness of the Union agri-food sector at Union and world level.

(11)This Regulation constitutes lex specialis with regard to the Union GMO legislation. It introduces specific provisions for NGT plants and NGT products. However, where there are no specific rules in this Regulation, NGT plants and products obtained from them should remain subject to the requirements of the Union GMO legislation and the rules on GMOs in sectoral legislation, such as Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls or the legislation on certain products like plant and forest reproductive material.

(14)NGT plants that could also occur naturally or be produced by conventional breeding techniques and their progeny (‘category 1 NGT plants’) should be treated as plants that have occurred naturally or have been produced by conventional breeding techniques, given that they are equivalent and that their risks are comparable, thereby derogating in full from the Union GMO legislation and GMO related requirements in sectoral legislation. In order to ensure legal certainty, this Regulation should set out the criteria to ascertain if a NGT plant is equivalent to naturally occurring or conventionally bred plants and lay down a procedure for competent authorities to verify and take a decision on the fulfilment of those criteria, prior to the release or placing on the market of NGT plants or NGT products. Those criteria should be objective and based on science. They should cover the type and extent of genetic modifications that can be observed in nature or in organisms obtained with conventional breeding techniques and should include thresholds for both size and number of genetic modifications to the genome of NGT plants. Since scientific and technical knowledge evolves rapidly in this area, the Commission should be empowered in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to update these criteria in light of scientific and technical progress as regards the type and extent of genetic modifications that can occur in nature or through conventional breeding.

(18)Since the criteria for considering that a NGT plant is equivalent to naturally occurring or conventionally bred plants are unrelated to the type of activity that requires the deliberate release of the NGT plant, a declaration of the category 1 NGT plant status made prior to its deliberate release for any other purpose than placing on the market in the territory of the Union should also be valid for the placing on the market of related NGT products. In view of the high uncertainty existing at the field trial stage about the product reaching the market and the likely involvement of smaller operators in such releases, the verification procedure of category 1 NGT plant status prior to field trials should be conducted by national competent authorities as this would be less administratively burdensome for operators, and a decision should be taken at Union level only in case there are comments to the verification report by other national competent authorities. Where verification request is submitted prior to the placing on the market of NGT products, and if there are reasoned objections by other Member States, the procedure should be conducted in consultation with the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) in order to ensure effectiveness of the verification procedure and consistency of the category 1 NGT plant status declarations.

(19)The competent authorities of the Member States, the Commission and the Authority should be subject to appropriate deadlines to ensure that category 1 NGT plant status declarations are made within a reasonable time.

(21)Decisions declaring the category 1 NGT plant status should assign an identification number to the NGT plant concerned in order to ensure transparency and traceability of such plants when they are listed in the database. The information listed should include information on the technique or techniques used to obtain the trait or traits.

(23)Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and the Council on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) 834/2007(47) prohibits the use of GMOs and products from and by GMOs in organic production. It defines GMOs for the purposes of that Regulation by reference to Directive 2001/18/EC, excluding from the prohibition GMOs which have been obtained through the techniques of genetic modification listed in Annex 1.B of Directive 2001/18/EC. As a result, category 2 NGT plants will be banned in organic production. However, it is necessary to clarify the status of category 1 NGT plants for the purposes of organic production. Currently, the compatibility of the use of new genomic techniques with the principles of organic production requires further consideration. The use of category 1 NGT plants should therefore be prohibited in organic production, until such further consideration takes place.

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47 Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 1).

(24)Provision should be made to ensure transparency as regards the use of category 1 NGT plant varieties, to ensure that production chains that wish to remain free from NGTs can do so and thereby safeguard consumer trust. NGT plants that have obtained a category 1 NGT plant status declaration should be listed in a publicly available database including information on the technique or techniques used to obtain the trait or traits. To ensure traceability, transparency and choice for operators, during research and plant breeding, when selling seed to farmers or making plant reproductive material available to third parties in any other way, plant reproductive material of category 1 NGT plants should be labelled as category 1 NGT.

(29)Directive 2001/18/EC requires a monitoring plan for environmental effects of GMOs after their deliberate release or placing on the market but provides for flexibility as to the design of the plan taking into account the environmental risk assessment, the characteristics of the GMO, of its expected use and of the receiving environment. Genetic modifications in category 2 NGT plants may range from changes only needing a limited risk assessment to complex alterations requiring a more thorough analysis of potential risks. Therefore, post-market monitoring requirements for environmental effects of category 2 NGT plants should be adapted in the light of the environmental risk assessment and the experience in field trials, the characteristics of the NGT plant concerned, the characteristics and scale of its expected use, in particular any history of safe use of the plant and the characteristics of the receiving environment. In view of the precautionary principle, a monitoring plan for environmental effects should always be required when consent is first given. It should only be possible to waive the requirement for monitoring upon the renewal of consent, provided that it has been demonstrated that the category 2 NGT plant does not pose risks that need monitoring, such as indirect, delayed or unforeseen effects on human health or on the environment.

(36)Herbicide tolerant plants are bred to be intentionally tolerant to herbicides, in order to be cultivated in combination with the use of those herbicides. If such cultivation is not done under appropriate conditions, it may lead to development of weeds resistant to those herbicides or to the need to increase of quantities of herbicides applied, regardless of the breeding technique. For this reason, NGT plants featuring herbicide-tolerant traits should not fall within the scope of the category 1 NGT plants.

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(39)To achieve the goal of ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market and the free movement of NGT plant and NGT products across the Union, the deliberate release of NGT plants and placing on the market of NGT products should be based on the harmonised requirements and procedures laid down in this Regulation, leading to the adoption of a decision uniformly applicable to all Member States.

(40)Given the ongoing development of new genomic techniques, the Commission should carry out an evaluation within five years after the adoption of the first decision allowing the deliberate release or the marketing of NGT plants or NGT products in the Union. That evaluation should measure the progress made towards the availability of NGT plants or NGT products containing such characteristics or properties on the EU market, with the aim of further improving this Regulation.

(43)The types of NGT plants developed and the impact of certain traits on environmental, social and economic sustainability are continuously evolving. Therefore, based on the available evidence of such developments and impacts, fully taking into account the precautionary principle, the Commission should be empowered in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to adapt the list of traits that should be incentivized or discouraged to achieve the goals of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork, Biodiversity and Climate Adaptation strategies.’

This Regulation, in accordance with the precautionary principle lays down specific rules for the deliberate release into the environment for any other purpose than placing on the market of plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (‘NGT plants’) and for the placing on the market of food and feed containing, consisting of or produced from such plants, and of products, other than food or feed, containing or consisting of such plants, ensuring a high level of protection of human and animal health and the environment.

(2)‘NGT plant’ means a genetically modified plant obtained by targeted mutagenesis or cisgenesis, or a combination thereof, on the condition that it does not contain any genetic material originating from outside the gene pool for conventional breeding purposes that temporarily may have been inserted during the development of the NGT plant;

(4)‘targeted mutagenesis’ means mutagenesis techniques resulting in modification(s) of the DNA sequence at targeted locations in the genome of an organism;

(6)‘gene pool for conventional breeding purposes’ means the total genetic information available in one species and other taxonomic species with which it can be cross-bred, using advanced techniques such as embryo rescue, induced polyploidy and bridge crosses;

(b)is progeny of plant (s) referred to in point (a) on condition that the criteria of equivalence set out in Annex I are still satisfied ; or

(2)the plant is a category 2 NGT plant, and has been granted consent or has been authorised in accordance with Chapter III.

2.For the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2018/848, the rules set out in its Article 5 (f), (iii), and Article 11 shall apply to category 1 NGT plants and to products produced from or by such plants. [7 years after the entry into force of this Regulation], the Commission shall present a report on the evolution of the consumers' and producers' perception, accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal.

3.The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 26 amending the criteria of equivalence of NGT plants to conventional plants laid down in Annex I, taking into account potential associated risks and functional consequences in the verification procedure in order to adapt those criteria to the latest scientific and technological developments as regards the types and extent of modifications which can occur naturally or through conventional breeding.

1.To obtain the declaration of category 1 NGT plant status referred to in Article 4(1), point (a), before undertaking a deliberate release of a NGT plant for any other purpose than placing on the market, the person intending to undertake the deliberate release shall submit a request to verify whether the criteria set out in Annex I at least one of the traits referred to in Annex III, Part 1, and the exclusion criteria in Annex III, Part 2, are met (‘verification request’). That verification request shall be submitted to the competent authority designated in accordance with Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/18/EC of the Member State within whose territory the release is to take place in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3 and the delegated act adopted in accordance with Article 6(11a), point (b).

(c)a description of the trait or traits and characteristics which have been introduced or modified, including information on the technique or techniques used to obtain the trait or the traits and including disclosure of the sequence of genetic modification;

(i)the plant is a NGT plant, including that it does not contain any genetic material originating from outside the gene pool for conventional breeding purposes where such genetic material has been temporarily inserted during the development of the plant, in accordance with the information requirements specified in the delegated act adopted in accordance with Article 6(11a), point (a);

(ii)the NGT plant meets the criteria set out in Annex I, at least one of the traits in Annex III, Part 1, and the exclusion criteria of Annex III, Part 2;

6.If the verification request is not deemed inadmissible in accordance with paragraph 5, the competent authority shall verify whether the NGT plant fulfils the criteria set out in Annex I and prepare a verification report within 30 working days from the date of receipt of a verification request. The competent authority may, where appropriate, consult with the European Food Safety Authority ('EFSA') while preparing the verification report. The competent authority shall make available the verification report to the other Member States and to the Commission without undue delay.

7.The other Member States and the Commission may make reasoned objections to the verification report, as regards the fulfilment of the criteria set out in Annex I, within 20 days from the date of receipt of that report. Such reasoned objections shall solely refer to the criteria as set out in Annex I and Annex III and shall include a scientific justification.

8.In the absence of any reasoned scientific objections from a Member State or the Commission, within the deadline referred to in paragraph 7, the national competent authority that prepared the verification report shall adopt a decision declaring whether the NGT plant is a category 1 NGT plant. The national competent authority shall transmit the decision within 10 working days to the requester, the other Member States and the Commission.

9.In cases where a reasoned objection is made by another Member State or by the Commission by the deadline referred to in paragraph 7, the competent authority that prepared the verification report shall make the reasoned objections publicly available without undue delay.

10.The Commission, after having consulted the Authority, shall prepare a draft decision declaring whether the NGT plant is a category 1 NGT plant within 45 working days from the date of receipt of the reasoned objections, taking the latter into account. The decision shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 28(2).

(c)a description of the trait(s) and characteristics which have been introduced or modified including information on the technique or techniques used to obtain the trait or the traits and on disclosure of the sequence of genetic modification;

7.The Commission shall publish the final decision in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall publish, in a dedicated and publicly available webpage, its draft decision and the reasoned objections referred to in Article 6.

(b)the designation and specification of the category 1 NGT plant;

2.The database shall be publicly available, and in an online format.

Category 1 NGT plants, products containing or consisting of category 1 NGT plant(s) and plant reproductive material, including for breeding and scientific purposes that contains or consists of category 1 NGT plant(s) and is made available to third parties, whether in return for payment or free of charge, shall bear a label indicating the words ‘New Genomic Techniques’. In the case of plant reproductive material, it shall be followed by the identification number of the NGT plant(s) it has been derived from.

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4.The Union reference laboratory shall test and validate the method of detection, identification and quantification proposed by the applicant in accordance with Article 19(2). If the applicant justifies the application of adapted modalities to comply with detection method requirements, the Union reference laboratory shall carry out its own research and analyses to confirm the claimed unfeasibility. In that case, the decision of the Union reference laboratory shall be motivated and be made public.

1.The incentives in this Article shall apply to category 2 NGT plants and category 2 NGT products, where at least one of the intended traits of the NGT plant conveyed by the genetic modification is contained in Article 51(1) of Regulation (EU/…)* and it does not have any traits referred to in Part 2 of that Annex.

2.The power to adopt the delegated acts referred to in Article 5(3), Article 6(11a) and Article 22(8) shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of 5 years from [date of entry into force of this Regulation]. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than 9 months before the end of the 5-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than 3 months before the end of each period.

3.The delegations of power referred to in Article 5(3), Article 6(11a) and Article 22(8) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

6.A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles Article 5(3), Article 6(11a) and Article 22(8) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by 2 months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.

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2.The report shall also identify and address any issues regarding biodiversity and environmental, human and animal health, changes to agronomic practices as well as socio-economic and ethical issues that may have arisen with the application of this Regulation.

3.For the purpose of the reporting referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission, by [24 months after the date of entry into force of this Regulation] at the latest, shall establish, after consulting the competent authorities of the Member States in accordance with Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, a detailed programme for monitoring, based on indicators, the impact of this Regulation, including the intended and unintended effects and systematic effects on the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems. It shall specify the action to be taken by the Commission and by the Member States in collecting and analysing the data and other evidence.

It shall apply from [24 months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation]. Article 4a and Article 33a shall apply from the date of entry into force.

A NGT plant is considered equivalent to conventional plants if the following conditions referred to in points 1 and 1a are met:

(1)The number of the following genetic modifications, which can be combined with each other, does not exceed 3 per any protein-coding sequence taking into account that mutations in introns and regulatory sequences are excluded from this limit:

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Traits referred to in Article 6 and Article 22

(1)yield, including yield stability and yield under low-input conditions, provided that those traits also contribute to either point (2), (3) or (4) of this Annex;

(7)reduced need for external inputs, such as fertilisers, if it does not contradict with Annex III, part 2.