The EP first of all called for a change in the legal basis, taking the view that the proposal should be governed by Article 100a of the Treaty rather than Article 43, as proposed by the Commission. It also proposed amendments aimed at: authorising breeders of reproductive material of protected varieties to plant and use the resulting harvested material; reducing the duration of Community protection from 30 years to 20 years; providing for Parliament's participation in the institutions - Office and Administrative Council - set up by the directive; and banning the patenting of the plant varieties covered by the directive.
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