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On July 17th, at the first EU-Latin America summit in eight years, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which is not yet fully finalized, is set to be further consolidated and completed by the end of the year at the latest. An additional chapter is intended to address the remaining concerns about the agreement and help prevent human rights violations, environmental damage, and climate impacts. In an interview with Nicolás Albertoni, the Deputy Foreign Secretary of Uruguay, we discuss the significance of the EU-Mercosur agreement in the South American public sphere, the importance of the EU-CELAC summit for dialogue between the regions, and the need for a timely conclusion of the agreement.
Der digitale Wandel und die Relevanz von Künstlicher Intelligenz nimmt in vielen Bereichen unseres Alltags bereits einen großen Stellenwert ein. Die rasante Entwicklung Künstlicher Intelligenz und ihrer Potenziale zeichnet sich zunehmend auch im militärischen Kontext ab. Das prominenteste Beispiel Künstlicher Intelligenz in den Streitkräften sind (teil-) autonome Waffensysteme.
The Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) of the European Central Bank (ECB) fills a gap in the Economic and Monetary Union governance framework. It is designed to allow bond purchases of individual euro states under certain circumstances in order to contain unwarranted interest rate hikes. At the same time, it has significant shortcomings in its current design. How should the TPI be assessed in this context and how can the Economic and Monetary Union be reformed to better integrate or replace the TPI?
The European Commission is expected to present a proposal for the regulation of new breeding methods in July 2023. These are currently classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by the ECJ's 2018 ruling and regulated accordingly. Dr. Anja Matzk, Head of Regulatory Affairs at KWS Saat SE & Co. KGaA, explains in an interview what contribution genome editing can make to supporting sustainability and promoting health. She also presents the PILTON research project.
In July 2023, the European Commission is expected to present a revised directive on genetically modified plants. The new breeding techniques have so far been classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by the ECJ's 2018 ruling and regulated accordingly. In this interview, Christopher Sieler, Head of Government & Public Affairs Germany for Syngenta, explains the potential of the new breeding techniques and shows why new business areas are also opening up for small and medium-sized companies.
In plant breeding, new plant varieties can be created efficiently and controllably with the help of a new molecular biological method, genome editing. The prerequisite is that the legal framework in the EU provides sufficient scope for this technique. The risk potential is no higher than with conventional breeding methods, unless foreign genes are inserted. From a scientific and business point of view, all arguments speak for a broad approval of genome editing.
In July 2023, the European Commission is expected to present a revised directive on genetically modified plants. The new breeding techniques have so far been classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by the ECJ ruling from 2018 and regulated accordingly. Why should the new breeding techniques be removed from the strict GMO definition? Can these techniques make an important contribution to sustainable agriculture?
Genome editing is a novel method for precisely modifying DNA. It is well established in basic molecular biology research. It can also make a significant contribution in applications such as plant breeding. Plant varieties bred with the aid of genome editing cannot be distinguished from conventionally bred varieties, if no foreign genes are introduced. Nor is their risk potential increased. Therefore, it does not make sense to restrictively regulate genome editing under EU genetic engineering law.
