More than 60 organizations, including public and private research centers,
universities, academies, technical institutes, and professional agricultural
organizations and scientific leaders from different European countries have
called for a "European Initiative for plant genome editing".

In an open letter addressed to European Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker, the signatories stressed that the European Union must not miss out
on the opportunities offered by genome editing of plants. The letter
suggests three actions that could be quickly taken to enable Europe through
its public and private sectors to place itself again at the forefront of
plant breeding innovation, in the interest of consumers, farmers, the
environment, and industry.

1. Adopt a coherent interpretation of the definition of a GMO under the
EU Directive EC 2001/18/;

2. Designate an EU authority to confirm the exclusion or exemption from
EU Directive 2001/18/EC;

3. Initiate discussions with countries exporting and importing
agricultural products to harmonize the regulatory status of plants derived
from genome editing.



[prri.net]
e-editing-English.pdf