The use of gene-editing technologies has come under increasing scrutiny in the EU over the past few years, following the 2018 European Court of Justice ruling that gene-edited organisms should fall, in principle, under the EU’s GMO directive.
The European Commission is set to publish a widely-anticipated study on new genomic techniques at the end of April, which aims to clarify the EU’s position on the technology in light of the ruling.
Ahead of its publication, EURACTIV took a look at the latest developments related to the technology.
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Gene editing requires ‘wide and inclusive’ societal debate, says ethics group
There is a need for a wide societal debate, including ethical reflection, over new gene-editing techniques, according to a new report from an advisory body for the European Commission, which was welcomed by industry players but accused of missing the mark by environmental campaign groups.
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MEP: Labelling of gene-edited foodstuffs is impossible
Labelling foodstuff as gene-edited products is simply not possible as the genetic improvements brought by the new breeding technologies (NBTs) are not identifiable, according to the Italian MEP Herbert Dorfmann.