On the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize DAS1131, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council

B100489/2025

European Parliament resolution on the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize DAS1131, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(D109630/02 – 2025/2893(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the draft Commission implementing decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize DAS1131 pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (D109630/01),

– having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed, and in particular Article 7(3) and Article 19(3) thereof,

– having regard to the vote of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed referred to in Article 35 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, on 15 September 2025, at which no opinion was delivered,

– having regard to Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers,

– having regard to the opinion adopted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on 5 February 2025, and published on 19 March 2025,

– having regard to its previous resolutions objecting to the authorisation of genetically modified organisms (‘GMOs’),

– having regard to Rule 115(2) and (3) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety,

A. whereas on 17 June 2022, Corteva Agriscience Belgium B.V., based in Belgium, on behalf of Corteva Agriscience LLC, based in the United States, submitted an application to the national competent authority of the Netherlands for the placing on the market of foods, food ingredients and feed containing, consisting of or produced from genetically modified maize DAS1131 (the ‘GM maize’), in accordance with Articles 5 and 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (the ‘application’); whereas the application also covered the placing on the market of products containing or consisting of the GM maize for uses other than food and feed, with the exception of cultivation;

B. whereas the GM maize produces the Cry1Da2 protein for resistance against certain lepidoptera pest insects and the DGT-28 EPSPS protein for increased tolerance to glyphosate herbicide;

C. whereas questions concerning the carcinogenicity of glyphosate remain; whereas EFSA concluded in November 2015 that glyphosate was unlikely to be carcinogenic and the European Chemicals Agency concluded in March 2017 that no classification was warranted; whereas, on the contrary, in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans; whereas a number of recent peer-reviewed scientific studies confirm the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate;

D. whereas EFSA issued a favourable opinion on 5 February 2025, concluding that the GM maize is as safe as its conventional counterpart; whereas that opinion did not address several broader environmental, socio-economic, and cumulative impacts which EFSA considers to fall outside its remit;

E. whereas the risk assessment carried out by EFSA did not include long-term toxicological studies or detailed analysis of cumulative and combinatorial effects, including potential interactions with residues of pesticides commonly used in maize cultivation;

F. whereas field trials supporting the application were conducted under limited geographical and climatic conditions that do not represent the full diversity of maize-growing regions, including those strongly affected by climate change-related stressors;

G. whereas independent monitoring and surveillance of potential adverse effects on biodiversity, soil health, pollinators and non-target organisms remain insufficiently guaranteed;

H. whereas to date, no peer-reviewed studies are available on the toxicity or mode of action of the Cry1Da2 protein;

I. whereas the precautionary principle, enshrined in Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, should apply in cases of scientific uncertainty;

J. whereas Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 requires that GM food and feed must not have adverse effects on human health, animal health or the environment;

K. whereas the adoption of the draft Commission implementing decision would allow imports into the Union that do not comply with the standards observed by Union farmers, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage;

L. whereas Parliament has repeatedly stressed that the Commission should not authorise GMOs in cases where no qualified majority is reached by Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed or the Appeal Committee, in order to address the persistent democratic deficit;

M. whereas the One Health approach requires taking into account the interdependence between human, animal, plant and environmental health when assessing the long-term sustainability and safety of GMOs;

1. Considers that the draft Commission implementing decision exceeds the implementing powers provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003;

2. Considers that the draft Commission implementing decision is not consistent with Union law, in that it is incompatible with the aim of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, which is, in accordance with the general principles laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, to provide the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, and environmental and consumer interests, in relation to GM food and feed, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market;

3. Calls on the Commission to withdraw its draft implementing decision;

4. Calls on the Commission not to authorise the GM maize due to the lack of sufficient evidence on long-term impacts on biodiversity, food safety and farmers’ livelihoods in line with the One Health approach;

5. Calls on the Commission to 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;

6. Urges the Commission to 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;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.