Situation in the AGRIFISH Council
Following on from the Spanish Council Presidency, the Belgian Presidency has failed to achieve the required qualified majority for the Council’s negotiating mandate (which is 55% of the EU Member States in which 65% of the EU population live) on the regulation. Among the countries abstaining or rejecting are currently Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania. The remaining unsolved topics include the patentability of NGTs, the criteria to divide New GMOs into two categories (NGT 1 and 2), risk assessment and labelling for category 1 plants, coexistence measures and the right to ban or restrict the cultivation of New GMOs in member states.
The Belgian Council presidency is continuing bilateral negotiations in the hope of eventually achieving a qualified majority. If it is successful, the trilogue can start in autumn when the new EU Parliament has been constituted. If not it will be the Hungarian’s turn to develop a position that can win a majority.
Situation in the European Parliament
The EU Parliament’s plenary will vote on the 24th of April to confirm the position that it adopted on the 7th of February with the first reading. With a confirmation via a simple majority it obliges the next parliament to start trilogue negotiations with this position.
For a detailed analysis of the vote in February see: https://www.enga.org/newsdetails/european-parliament-voted-for-the-right-to-know-whether-new-gmos-are-in-value-chains-and-food/