The Hungarian EU Presidency began its work on July 1, 2024, when Hungary took over the baton from Spain. In the past year intensive negotiations took place during two presidential cycles on the coordination of the Regulation for Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) and the new legislation for New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).
Plant Reproductive Material
The publication of the draft PRM Regulation was preceded by several years of preparatory work, and the Commission held many professional consultations on its ideas even before the official publication, therefore the sector was not unprepared for the novelty of its content. In the previous year, the Hungarian ministerial officials actively participated in the work of the standing committee, since the production of seed and propagating material and the certification and registration of varieties are of utmost importance in Hungary. During the Belgian and Spanish Presidencies, the chapters of general provisions and requirements of certifications were discussed.
In relation to the PRM, the Hungarian Presidency has undertaken the lead of the committee on the discussion of Chapter 4 (from paragraphs 44 to 74) about the registration of varieties. Fewer professional debates are expected than in the propagating material certification section. However, there might be critical points, such as the introduction of Value for Sustainable Cultivation and Use (VSCU) in vegetable plant species.
The position of some Member States, the European seed sector and breeders are far from the Commission’s ideas, but the Hungarian Presidency will strive to create a consensus.
There are many new, progressive elements in the draft legislation. Harmonization is an important goal, since member countries may differ in their currently applied national procedures and practices.
The complex unified management of the lists of propagating material varieties and variety descriptions, the inclusion of applicants in the variety trials, and the harmonization of the requirements are important developments. In the area of the registration of varieties in the PRM Regulation, the Hungarian Presidency will not present the paragraphs related to NGT and Organism Classification Regulation (OCR) for negotiation, and since the goal is to finish the discussion of Chapter 4, the committee preparation work of the draft PRM Regulation will not be completed this year.
The Hungarian professional team in the standing committee, supported by the Hungarian Designated Authority, strives to successfully conclude the negotiation process of Chapter 4 of the draft PRM Regulation by the end of December.
New Genomic Techniques
Regarding the draft NGT Regulation, the situation is fundamentally different due to several aspects. Unlike the draft of the PRM Regulation — which is about the legal unification and reform of directives that have been successfully operating and applied for many decades — a completely new legislation must be created. The standing committee negotiations of the draft prepared by the Commission have so far shown many disputes and differences of opinion among member countries. There were also significant differences in the interpretation of the goal of the legislation. A year ago, at the beginning of the negotiation process, it was already foreseeable that the attitude of the Presidencies on the issue of the NGT would be different. Some Member States and organizations urged to speed up the negotiations of the NGT legislation and thus the introduction of NGT developments to the market, and the creation of a legislative environment that ensures the possibility of production and use. Others considered it important to have a more detailed professional discussion and the development of less permissive regulations. The Hungarian position is well-known about the primacy of GMO-free production and Hungary does not support any kind of genetic modification in plants. As a first step in the negotiation plans for the NGT proposal, the Hungarian Presidency decided to discuss the issues that arose in the past year on which no satisfactory consensus was reached. Over the past year, the standing committee debates of the draft NGT Regulation and their amendment proposals did not proceed from paragraph to paragraph, so in the opinion of the Hungarian Presidency, many questions and suggestions from member states remained unanswered. It is expected that the period until December will provide an opportunity to clarify these points. The Hungarian Presidency does not plan to close the standing committee discussion of the NGT proposal and the general approach.
Editor’s Note: Gabor Polgar is the Managing Director at the Hungarian Seed Association
