Brussels, 22 February 2024

EuropaBio welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Committee report Gene technology in a sustainable future. Our comments focus on the general principle of the majority’s proposal and on organisms intended for food, feed and agriculture, as well as other releases for industrial and environmental purposes (excluding GMO medicinal products).

EuropaBio considers that the Committee’s general assessment of the current situation is accurate: gene technology can contribute significantly to a more sustainable future; today’s regulations and their implementation create many obstacles to realise its full potential; current gene technology regulations, management and policies inhibit innovation and access to safe and useful products.

We fully agree with the recommendation of the Committee to modernise the current regulation of organisms and products developed using gene technology and advocate for similar modernisation of the EU GM framework. Furthermore, we also support the Committee’s view that any new proposal for regulating products developed with gene technology should consider all living organisms, i.e. plants, animals, and microorganisms. The scope of the proposal should be clear with regard to fermentation products: products produced using genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) should not fall in scope of the Gene Technology Act.

See our comments in the document