Objection pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3) of the Rules of Procedure to the draft Commission Implementing Decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified oilseed rape MON 88302, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council

The European Parliament adopted by 456 votes to 166, with 21 abstentions, a resolution objecting to the draft Commission implementing decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified oilseed rape MON 88302, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

On 28 February 2024, Bayer Agriculture B.V., based in Belgium, on behalf of Bayer CropScience LP, based in the United States of America, submitted an application to the Commission for the renewal of that authorisation. The scope of that authorisation also covers the placing on the market of products, other than food and feed, containing or consisting of the GM oilseed rape for the same uses as any other oilseed rape, with the exception of cultivation.

EFSA issued a favourable opinion on 26 March 2025, concluding that the renewal application did not contain evidence of new hazards, modified exposure or scientific uncertainties that would change the conclusions of its original risk assessment issued in 2014.

The resolution stated that GM oilseed rape is tolerant to glyphosate and glyphosate use is linked to biodiversity decline, soil and water contamination, and health concerns.

Lack of assessment

Parliament stressed that EFSA’s opinion did not sufficiently consider cumulative and combinatorial effects, indirect environmental impacts, and socio-economic consequences of intensified herbicide use. As genetically modified oilseed rape is prone to uncontrolled spread and gene flow, with cases of feral genetically modified oilseed rape populations already documented in several Member States, creating difficulties for coexistence, long-term monitoring, and eradication. The monitoring plan for environmental effects provided for in the draft Commission implementing decision relies mainly on general surveillance and does not provide for specific, independent long-term studies on pollinators, soil organisms, and non-target plants.

Furthermore, Parliament has repeatedly objected to the authorisation or renewal of GMOs in cases where no qualified majority is reached among Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed or the Appeal Committee, underlining the persistent democratic deficit in the authorisation procedure.

Recommendations

On the basis of these considerations, Parliament considered that the Commission's implementing decision exceeds the implementing powers provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and that it is not consistent EU law. Consequently, it called on the Commission to:

- withdraw its draft implementing decision;

- not renew the authorisation of the GM oilseed rape due to concerns regarding gene flow, environmental persistence, herbicide use, and insufficient long-term evidence, in line with the One Health approach;

- submit, without delay, a legislative proposal to reform the decision-making procedure on GMOs in order to respond to the consistent objections of Parliament and the lack of qualified majority support among Member States;

take into account the Union’s obligations under international agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.