The Council held a public exchange of views on the draft regulation amending directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation, in all or part of their territory, of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have been authorised at EU level.
The exchange of views confirmed the Member States' willingness to re-open discussions on this legislative proposal on the basis of the presidency compromise text. The Presidency aims to reach a political agreement and prepare the adoption of this important legislation by the end of 2014.
The GMO cultivation proposal presented in July 2010 has already been examined during several presidencies. The Environment Council of 9 March 2012 was not able to reach a political agreement as a blocking minority of delegations still had concerns regarding some issues.