Case C-688/21, Confédération paysanne and Others (In vitro random mutagenesis): Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 7 February 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d’État — France) — Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre, Ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Environment — Deliberate release of genetically modified organisms — Directive 2001/18/EC — Article 3(1) — Point 1 of Annex I B — Scope — Exemptions — Techniques/methods of genetic modification which have conventionally been used and have a long safety record — In vitro random mutagenesis)
Date: 2023-02-07
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: environmental protection, genetically modified organism, genetics








C_2023112EN.01000801.xml










27.3.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 112/8






Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 7 February 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d’État — France) — Confédération paysanne and Others v Premier ministre, Ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation
(Case C-688/21, (1) Confédération paysanne and Others (In vitro random mutagenesis))
(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Environment - Deliberate release of genetically modified organisms - Directive 2001/18/EC - Article 3(1) - Point 1 of Annex I B - Scope - Exemptions - Techniques/methods of genetic modification which have conventionally been used and have a long safety record - In vitro random mutagenesis)
(2023/C 112/10)
Language of the case: French

Referring court

Conseil d’État

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Confédération paysanne, Réseau Semences Paysannes, Les Amis de la Terre France, Collectif Vigilance OGM et Pesticides 16, Vigilance OG2M, CSFV 49, OGM: dangers, Vigilance OGM 33, Fédération Nature et Progrès

Defendants: Premier ministre, Ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation

Intervening party: Fédération française des producteurs d’oléagineux et de protéagineux

Operative part of the judgment

Article 3(1) of Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC, read in conjunction with point 1 of Annex I B to that directive and in the light of recital 17 of that directive,
must be interpreted as meaning that organisms obtained through the application of a technique/method of mutagenesis which is based on the same processes of modification, by the mutagenic agent, of the genetic material of the organism concerned as a technique/method of mutagenesis which has conventionally been used in a number of applications and has a long safety record, but which differs from that second technique/method of mutagenesis by virtue of other characteristics, shall, in principle, be excluded from the exemption laid down in that provision, provided that it is established that those characteristics are likely to lead to modifications of the genetic material of that organism which differ, by their nature or by the rate at which they occur, from those obtained by the application of that second technique/method of mutagenesis. However, the effects inherent in in vitro cultures do not, as such, justify the exclusion from that exemption of organisms obtained by the in vitro application of a technique/method of mutagenesis which has conventionally been used in a number of in vivo applications and has a long safety record with regard to those applications.


(1)  OJ C 37, 21.1.2022.