THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

 calls for mandatory risk assessment and authorisation procedures for all NGTs;
 asks for full transparency and traceability, including labelling, throughout the entire value chain from the seed to the plate to ensure the freedom of choice of NGT-free products for consumers and organic and/or GMO-free agriculture actors;
 asks for the modification of the EU law on intellectual property rights, to forbid patents on NGTs before the two regulations enter into force;
 asks for the principle of subsidiarity to be guaranteed in general and, in particular, for EU Member States to be empowered to define NGT-free territories;
 welcomes and strongly supports the Commission's current proposal to exclude the use of NGT in organic farming;
 asks for measures, including financial compensation, to ensure lasting and effective protection against unintended contamination and further disadvantages for organic and GMO-free agriculture, as well as high-quality food production protected by geographical indications;
 asks for EU-level measures to be defined for the coexistence of GMO and GMO-free production before the release of NGT 1 and NGT 2 crops, as this cannot be delegated to the Member States;
 welcomes the recognition of the diversity of operators' profiles and the possibility to sell and exchange seeds outside the legislation;
 highlights that the new regulation of Plant Reproductive Material might unnecessarily increase the administrative burden on our farmers and their dependency on big seed companies;
 asks to enable Plant Genetic Resource (PGR) access to farmers to promote sustainable use and on farm research, as motor of place-based innovation.