Several member organisations of the European Coordination for Farmers’ Seeds working for the promotion, dissemination and recognition of farmers’ seeds, namely Rete Semi Rurali (Italy), Réseau Semences Paysannes (France) and IG Saatgut (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), drafted a common position on the revision of EU legislation on the marketing of seeds and plant propagation materials linked to the European Commission’s Better Regulation process: Common position paper on Better Regulation
What is the “Better Regulation” process?
As of 2009 the European Commission has undertaken to evaluate and review the legislation governing the marketing of seeds and plant propagating material (S&PM) in Europe (website). This work is carried out under the framework of the European Union’s Better Regulation policy with the stated aims of simplifying and improving existing regulation in different fields.
The underlying logic of the review is that many EC Directives on the marketing of seeds and plant propagating material date back to the sixties and seventies. As the balance of priorities has changed over the years, with elements such as food safety, traceability, new technologies and environmental aspects becoming more prominent, and with the expansion of the EU, newer legal instruments may be more appropriate to regulate the marketing of S&PM to the benefit of both users and suppliers.
Under the framework of the Better Regulation process the Directorate General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission published a report evaluating the Community acquis on the marketing of seed and plant propagating material. (report)