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In 2024, digital sequence information (DSI) derived from genetic resources was at the heart of international negotiations. Discussions focused mainly on the sharing of the benefits generated by the industrial and commercial use of this DSI, and the mechanisms required to implement it. These developments could redefine governance and influence the future regulation of DSI, but persistent differences between countries are holding back progress.

Mosquitoes carry pathogens that cause diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and are therefore known as vector-borne diseases. As part of the fight against these mosquitoes, researchers at Macquarie University (Australia) are considering a new genetic strategy. The idea is to genetically modify male mosquitoes so that their sperm produce molecules that will poison female mosquitoes.

Patents involving the use of nanos* in agriculture have multiplied over the last 20 years. However, there has been no improvement in the availability of information in this field. A recent report, commissioned by AVICENN and published by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), re-emphasizes the need to change European regulations in order to better identify, assess and manage nanos in the fields and the food. AVICENN is calling for greater transparency on the marketing and risks of nanomaterials that have long been used in agriculture.

Since July 2023, the issue of patents on living organisms has been at the heart of debates in the European Union. These debates were sparked by the European Commission’s proposal to stop assessing the risks associated with GMOs, to stop labelling them as such, and to put an end to their detection and identification. In December 2024, a conference allowed several stakeholders of the debate to express their opinion.

In March 2024, the European Commission announced measures aimed at driving what it called a “biotechnology revolution”, including a proposal for a “law” in 2025. This announcement came at a time when a number of legislative dossiers relating to biotechnology had already reached an impasse, such as the deregulation of plant GMOs. As Denmark, a fervent supporter of biotechnology, prepares to take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from July 2025, is the Commission planning to bring everything together in a general “biotech law” to complicate political debates and force the issue through? The European Parliament has just taken up the issue on its own initiative.

Algae are the surprise guest in the European Commission’s deregulation proposal. How are these organisms used by the industry? In which countries are they produced? And above all, what genetic modifications are being made for which comercialisation? This overview is of importance because, according to the European Commission, their deregulation – like that of other plant GMOs – would be justified by the “evidence […] on the safety” of these GMOs. However, these GM algae do not exist, as the technical protocols are not yet mastered…

The algae that live in rivers and the sea have been the focus of a great deal of attention in recent years. Whether micro, macro, green, brown, red… they are currently at the heart of an industrial development project for which the European Commission is active. These GMO algae could be deregulated if the European Commission’s July 2023 proposal were to be approved, as they will undergo genetic modification to be transformed into production facilities for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and agrofuels. This article is a first dive into a world that has gone unnoticed until now.

In July 2023, the proposal to deregulate GMOs obtained using new genetic modification techniques (known as “new genomic techniques” – NGTs) highlighted a sensitive issue that is still under discussion: patents. Patents are fiercely criticised for their many negative effects on the rights of farmers and traditional seed producers, as well as on biodiversity. A report commissioned by the European Green Party addresses this issue and suggests ways out of the impasse.

In January 2025, Poland, president of the Council of Europe, put a proposal on the table of EU member states to “solve” the patent problem that had arisen in the debate on deregulating GMOs obtained by new techniques. Complex and of uncertain effectiveness, the Polish proposal has plunged everyone into doubt. Discussions on this text may therefore not be concluded before Denmark, whose government supports total deregulation of GMOs, takes over the presidency of the European Union.