b"Commission's ideas, but the Hungarian Presidency will strive toopinion among member countries. There were also significant dif-create a consensus. There are many new, progressive elements inferences in the interpretation of the goal of the legislation. A year the draft legislation. Harmonization is an important goal, sinceago, at the beginning of the negotiation process, it was already fore-member countries may differ in their currently applied nationalseeable that the attitude of the Presidencies on the issue of the NGT procedures and practices. The complex unified management of thewould be different. Some Member States and organizations urged lists of propagating material varieties and variety descriptions, theto speed up the negotiations of the NGT legislation and thus the inclusion of applicants in the variety trials, and the harmonizationintroduction of NGT developments to the market, and the creation of the requirements are important developments. In the area of theof a legislative environment that ensures the possibility of produc-registration of varieties in the PRM Regulation, the Hungariantion and use. Others considered it important to have a more detailed Presidency will not present the paragraphs related to NGT andprofessional discussion and the development of less permissive reg-Organism Classification Regulation (OCR) for negotiation, andulations. The Hungarian position is well-known about the primacy since the goal is to finish the discussion of Chapter 4, the committeeof GMO-free production and Hungary does not support any kind preparation work of the draft PRM Regulation will not be com- of genetic modification in plants. As a first step in the negotiation pleted this year. The Hungarian professional team in the standingplans for the NGT proposal, the Hungarian Presidency decided to committee, supported by the Hungarian Designated Authority,discuss the issues that arose in the past year on which no satisfactory strives to successfully conclude the negotiation process of Chapterconsensus was reached. Over the past year, the standing committee 4 of the draft PRM Regulation by the end of December. debates of the draft NGT Regulation and their amendment propos-als did not proceed from paragraph to paragraph, so in the opinion NEW GENOMIC TECHNIQUES of the Hungarian Presidency, many questions and suggestions from Regarding the draft NGT Regulation, the situation is fundamen- member states remained unanswered. It is expected that the period tally different due to several aspects. Unlike the draft of the PRMuntil December will provide an opportunity to clarify these points. Regulationwhich is about the legal unification and reform ofThe Hungarian Presidency does not plan to close the standing com-directives that have been successfully operating and applied formittee discussion of the NGT proposal and the general approach. many decadesa completely new legislation must be created. The standing committee negotiations of the draft prepared by theEditors Note: Gabor Polgar is the Managing Director at the Hungarian Commission have so far shown many disputes and differences ofSeed AssociationSEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 45"