Nagoya Obligations: BfN launches 45 new inspection procedures

After the last inspection cycle of the BfN to review the obligations of the Nagoya Protocol was completed at the end of 2022, the BfN has now announced a new one-year inspection cycle for 2023. 45 inspections are planned, although these inspections can be increased if necessary, for example based on information from third parties or information resulting from a planned inspection. This means that the number of planned inspections has increased by 50% compared to last year. According to the BfN, only a portion of the inspections could be completed last year due to "the geographical Application of the Regulation (EU) No. 511/2014 was not open". This means that the genetic resources originated from a state to which the Nagoya Protocol did not apply, which in turn means that most cases fell under the Nagoya Protocol and therefore had to be continued.

Users of genetic resources should therefore expect to receive a so-called control questionnaire from the BfN in the short term, which must be completed this year via an online platform. As a precautionary measure, it should also be noted that the BfN is working on a method that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to check passages from publications and patents for specific keywords in the text in order to then check their conformity with the Nagoya Protocol and the ABS access regulations. This will enable the work of research institutions, universities, and companies to be screened on a large scale, which will simplify procedures at the BfN. Accordingly, the number of reviews is expected to rise in the long term because staff can then be deployed specifically for ad hoc controls. Until then, all users should know and follow the basic rules to be observed!! We would like to draw your attention to our workshop below.