Resolution on Commission Implementing Decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified soybean MON 87708, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council

The European Parliament adopted by 453 votes to 179, with 14 abstentions, a resolution objecting to the Commission Implementing Decision renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified soybean MON 87708, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

On 8 March 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 covered the placing on the market of products other than food and feed containing or consisting of the GM soybean, for the same uses as any other soybean, 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 adopted in 2013.

Lack of assessment

Parliament stressed that EFSA’s opinion did not sufficiently address cumulative and combinatorial effects, indirect health risks, or long-term ecological consequences of large-scale dicamba use. The GM soybean is tolerant to dicamba, a herbicide associated with significant risks for biodiversity, soil and water health, as well as with off-field drift causing damage to neighbouring crops and ecosystems. The expansion of dicamba-resistant GM soybeans in exporting countries has been linked to widespread herbicide drift, farmer disputes and ecosystem impacts, highlighting socio-economic and environmental concerns. The monitoring for environmental effects provided for in the Commission draft

implementing decision relies on general surveillance and does not include targeted studies on pollinators, soil organisms or aquatic species.

Moreover, 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 GMO 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 soybean due to the risks associated with dicamba use, environmental impacts 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.