b"HowNon-EuropeanAdvocating for Seeds Within EuropePetra Jorasch, manager at Euroseeds, advocates for plant breeding innovations, collaborating with stakeholders to Countries Dealboost agricultural productivity through regulatory support and better understanding.with Europe SW: What are the key factors contributing to the per-ception that the European regulatory environment is complex? Jorasch: When it comes to GMOs and the regulation of GMOs, it's just a very burdensome and very expansive regulatory framework. For conventional THE REGULATORY LANDSCAPEseeds, it's not very complex, and it's also harmonized on an EU level, meaning FOR THE SEED SECTOR IN EUROPEMember States need to comply to the same rules and regulations. But when it IS OFTEN CHARACTERIZEDcomes to GMOs, and specifically NGTs, which are currently considered GMOs BY ITS COMPLEXITY DUE TO Ain Europe, until we have a new regulation in place, that's very complex and CONVERGENCE OF DIVERSEvery challenging.NATIONAL LAWS, EUROPEAN UNION DIRECTIVES, ANDSW: Tell us about the current flux in the regulatory landscape.INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS.Jorasch: In 2018, the European Court of Justice decided that all new genomic THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK IS INtechniques (NGTs) or new breeding techniques, as they were called at the time, would be considered to lead to genetically modified organisms and QUITE A BIT OF FLUX AND WILLbe regulated as such. The European Council asked the EU Commission to CONTINUE TO BE OVER THE NEXTassess if the current regulatory situation is fit for purpose. After the study, the ONE TO TWO YEARS.Commission came up with a proposal to regulate what they call new genomic techniques in a different manner than classical GMOs.recently satSeed World U.S.down with three seed industrySW: Can you explain Category 1 and outline how companies might ensure leaders to ask tough questions they remain in a Category 1?Jorasch: This Category 1, as it is called, defines what type of genetic changes about how non-European introduced by NGTs can be considered conventional-like and regulated differ-countries can trade within theent from GMOs. I would advise companies to look at the Commission proposal; complex European regulatorythat draws some lines and presents certain technical criteria. Staying within environment. In this Seed Worldthat concept would be the most promising way of doing it. Category 1 will in-depth special feature, allow 20 genetic modifications of certain types, which means single mutations we talked about the evolving or deletions of parts of the DNA. They also allow the introduction of so-called political situation surroundingcis genes. regulating NGTs and GMOs inthe EU regulatory landscape.SW: For companies that are currently trading, what are the current guide-lines for NGTs?Jorasch: Currently NGT plants and resulting products are GMOs and you need Heres what they had to say. to have a full approval as a genetically modified organism or product. For the more than 20 years, no company has ever obtained cultivation approval BY: AIMEE NIELSON in Europe. The only cultivation approval we currently have is Bt corn grown in Spain and Portugal. What I expect and what we already see is that some companies and also research institutions aim for field trials. They are still under the GMO requirements, but there are already some field trials with NGT pota-toes in Sweden, as well as maize field trials in Belgium.SW: So, the proposed changes would actually open this up a little bit more and create more opportunity?Jorasch: Theres some hope with Member States to acknowledge that these products are different. They are still falling under the current regulatory GMO requirements, but they see the difference and they want to make it happen.16/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2024"