Things are happening in Brussels, albeit slowly…

The EU Commission recently launched a survey on the use of genome-edited plants. Even though the website created for this purpose, with its automated text template, has been burdened with over 70,000 almost identical objections, the EU remains committed to creating a new legal framework for plants obtained "by targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis." This change is aimed in particular at the CRISPR/Cas gene editing technique and other genome editing methods. According to a July 2018 ruling by the European Court of Justice, these methods fall under genetic engineering law, resulting in a ban on cultivation and use. Without sacrificing the high level of protection for human, animal, and environmental health, the EU Commission intends to adapt the legal basis to scientific and technological progress. To this end, it presented a binding roadmap for its legislative initiative at the end of September 2021, according to which public consultations will first take place before the EU Commission develops a concrete proposal. The proposal is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of 2023, after which it will have to go through the European legislative process. Ultimately, this concept is part of the so-called Green Deal and the EU's farm-to-fork strategy, which is also intended to address climate change. The UK is a model for this, where the government has also announced that it will no longer consider simply edited plants to be GMOs. The EU's roadmap can be found here. can be viewed.