Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

**Council of the**
**European Union**

**Interinstitutional File:**

**2021/0019(COD)**

**PROPOSAL**

**Brussels, 9 February 2021**
**(OR. en)**

**6030/21**

**CODEC 167**
**AGRILEG 20**
**SEMENCES 9**
**PI 7**

From: Secretary-General of the European Commission, signed by Ms Martine
DEPREZ, Director

date of receipt: 3 February 2021

To: Mr Jeppe TRANHOLM-MIKKELSEN, Secretary-General of the Council
of the European Union

No. Cion doc.: COM(2021) 36 final

Subject: Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND
OF THE COUNCIL on the extension of the term of Community plant
variety rights for the species asparagus and the species groups flower
bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals

Delegations will find attached document COM(2021) 36 final.

Encl.: COM(2021) 36 final

6030/21 PVG/lt

## LIFE.3 EN

EUROPEAN

COMMISSION

Brussels, 3.2.2021
COM(2021) 36 final

2021/0019 (COD)

Proposal for a

**REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL**

**on the extension of the term of Community plant variety rights for the species asparagus**

**and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals**

# **EN EN**

**EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM**

**1.** **CONTEXT** **OF** **THE** **PROPOSAL**

**•** **Reasons for and objectives of the proposal**

The initiative concerns a Regulation adopted on the basis of Article 118 (1) of the Treaty on
the Functioning of the European Union on extending the term of protection from 25 years to
30 years for the species asparagus, and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits
and woody ornamentals, as currently set out in Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No
2100/94 on Community Plant Variety Rights. Such an additional protection is currently in
place for species of trees, vines and potatoes. The extension request was made by the
Administrative Council of the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) following a request
of breeders represented by the breeders’ organisations Ciopora, Euroseeds and Plantum, as
well as the company James Hutton Ltd.

**The CPVO and the Commission (DG SANTE) have carried out an analysis, whether for**

**the species concerned there are technical difficulties in breeding requiring**
**expenditure of research activities for a long period, whether the multiplication**
**of propagating material takes long, whether the new varieties reveal commercial**
**value only in the long term and the return for investments into research**
**activities is only possible at a fairly late stage of the protection in comparison**
**with other horticultural or agricultural crops. The analysis carried out shows**
**that for the species of asparagus, and for the species groups flower bulbs, woody**
**small fruits and woody ornamentals the term of protection should be extended**
**by five years in order to establish a legal environment conducive to achieving an**
**equitable refunding of research and breeding.• Consistency with existing policy**
**provisions in the policy area**

This is a technical implementation of existing requirements and thus consistent with existing
policy provisions in the policy area of European plant breeders’ rights.

**•** **Consistency with other Union policies**

This proposal is in line and complies with the Union’s rules.

**2.** **LEGAL** **BASIS,** **SUBSIDIARITY** **AND** **PROPORTIONALITY**

**•** **Legal basis**

The legal basis of this act is Article 118 (1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union, which empowers the European Parliament and the Council, in accordance with the
ordinary legislative procedure to establish measures for the creation of European intellectual
property rights to provide uniform protection of intellectual property rights throughout the
Union and for the setting up of centralised Union-wide authorisation, coordination and
supervision arrangements.

**•** **Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)**

Requirements for plant breeders’ rights are regulated at the Union level, and in order to
guarantee the same protection period for plant breeders’ rights, action at Union level is

necessary.

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**•** **Proportionality**

This is the only possible form of Union action to achieve the pursued objective.

**•** **Choice of the instrument**

The legal instrument is provided for by the legal base, Article 118 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union.

**3.** **RESULTS** **OF** **EX-POST** **EVALUATIONS,** **STAKEHOLDER**
**CONSULTATIONS** **AND** **IMPACT** **ASSESSMENTS**

**•** **Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation**

N/A

**•** **Stakeholder consultations**

Several breeders’ organisations have made a request to prolong the protection period for
certain species. The key stake holders and Member States have been informed and consulted
both in the Administrative Council of CPVO, which resulted in a formal request of the body
to the Commission, and in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animal, Food and Feed. No
separate consultation has been required, as the initiative only concerns technical
implementation of existing rules and no separate consultation has taken place under similar
initiatives in the past.

**•** **Collection and use of expertise**

The Commission has carried out a technical analysis together with the CPVO.

**•** **Impact assessment**

It is an act of technical nature and implementing existing rules drawn on the experience of the
parties concerned. Therefore, there is no requirement for impact assessment.

**•** **Regulatory fitness and simplification**

This proposal is not linked to REFIT. This proposal of an additional period of protection of
five years would help to achieve sufficient return of investments made and encourage the
breeding of new improved varieties for the benefit of growers, consumers and the society at
large. Moreover, the access of in particular of SMEs to export markets could be facilitated.
The nature of the problem will not change when society makes greater use of the internet and
social media except that the offer of new plant varieties over internet (internet sales) to
consumers most likely keeps increasing.

**•** **Fundamental rights**

Right to intellectual property, Article 17(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union [1]

**4.** **BUDGETARY** **IMPLICATIONS**

No

1 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (OJ C 326, p. 391, 26.10.2012).

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**5.** **OTHER** **ELEMENTS**

**•** **Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements**

N/A

**•** **Explanatory documents (for directives)**

N/A

**•** **Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal**

The aim of this proposal is to increase the protection of Community Plant Variety Rights from
25 to 30 years for the species asparagus, and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small
fruits and woody ornamental crops. For this purpose a Regulation to provide for the extension
is provided for and in its Article 2(1) the term of protection for the concerned species is
extended by five years.

Moreover, Article 2(2) of this proposal intends to take into count the duration of national
plant variety rights. In the case of varieties for which a national plant variety right was granted
prior to the grant of the Community plant variety right, but to which Article 116(4) fourth
indent of the Regulation 1994/2100 EC does not apply, the extension referred to in Article
2(2) of this proposal shall be reduced by the longest period in full years during which any
national property right or rights granted have been effective in a Member State in respect of
the same variety prior to the grant of the Community plant variety right.

# EN 3 EN

2021/0019 (COD)

Proposal for a

**REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL**

**on the extension of the term of Community plant variety rights for the species asparagus**

**and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals**

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the
first paragraph of Article 118 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee [2]

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure [3]

Whereas:

(1) Technical difficulties in breeding, due to complex genetic backgrounds or due to the
slow or technically complicated reproduction of the species asparagus and the species
groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals require investments
for research activities. Once protection is granted for the species mentioned, it takes
years to multiply the plants and to build up a stock that is sufficiently large to generate
a reasonable income. Accordingly, the time during which the holder of the rights can
generate income based on the protection is limited for practical reasons. To encourage
the investment in research and development for such varieties it is necessary to
prolong the period of variety protection and incentivize breeding activities to develop
new varieties to face the needs of farmers and consumers and to face the impact of
climate change. Those investments require a longer period to be profitable than for the
overwhelming majority of other species, such as agricultural crops, which often have a
shorter life span and a larger and wider range of customers.

(2) In addition, the market introduction and market uptake of a new variety of those
species requires a longer time, as experience has shown that a new variety reveals its
commercial value only in the long term. For those reasons, an equitable refunding of
the research investment is only possible at a fairly late stage of the protection of those
species in comparison with the other crops.

(3) In order to establish a legal environment conducive to achieving an equitable
refunding, it is appropriate to extend by further five years the term of the Community
plant variety rights concerning the species asparagus, and the species groups flower
bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals.

2 OJ C ../../….2020, p. ….
3 Position of the European Parliament of … and decision of the Council of …..

# EN 4 EN

(4) For reasons of consistency, such extension should apply to all Community plant
variety rights regarding the species asparagus, and the species groups flower bulbs,
woody small fruits and woody ornamentals.

(5) The period of extension should be reduced if national property rights in respect of
those varieties have been effective in a Member State prior to the grant of a
Community plant variety right and, accordingly, would already have allowed breeders
to exploit their varieties.

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

_Article 1_

**Definitions**

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) ‘the plant varieties concerned’ means the plant varieties of the species asparagus and
the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits and woody ornamentals;

(2) ‘the term of the right’ means the term, resulting from Article 19(1) of Council
Regulation (EC) No 2100/94, of a Community plant variety right.

_Article 2_

**Extension of the term of rights**

1. The term of the right of the plant varieties concerned shall be extended by five years.
That extension shall apply to rights granted before, on or after 1 July 2021.

2. Paragraph 1 is without prejudice to:

(a) Article 3 of this Regulation;

(b) the fourth indent of Article 116(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2100/94.

_Article 3_

**Reduction of the extension of the term of rights**

1. For the plant varieties referred to in paragraph 2, the extension of the term provided
for in Article 2 shall be reduced by the longest period in full calendar years during
which any national property right or rights granted have been effective in a Member
State in respect of the same variety prior to the grant of the Community plant variety
right.

2. Paragraph 1 shall apply to the plant varieties concerned not subject to the fourth
indent of Article 116(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 and which have been
granted one or more national plant variety rights prior to the grant of a Community
plant variety right.

_Article 4_

**Entry into force and application**

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in
the _Official Journal of the European Union_ .

It shall apply from 1 July 2021.

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This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

_For the European Parliament_ _For the Council_
_The President_ _The President_

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