Strasbourg, September 13 – The EU Parliament has adopted in the first reading the Proposal of the EU Commission to extend the term of Community Plant Variety Rights for the species asparagus and the species groups flower bulbs, woody small fruits, and woody ornamentals. The proposal to extend the duration of protection for woody plants from 25 to 30 years was approved by the overwhelming majority with 641 votes.
By voting for the proposal, the MEPs acknowledged the challenges and the high cost associated with breeding the species in question as well as the need to provide innovative breeders with more time to receive the return on their investments. The Resolution states: “To encourage investments in research and development for varieties of that species and those species groups, it is necessary to prolong the term of protection of plant variety rights and incentivise breeding activities to develop new varieties in order to meet the needs of farmers and consumers and to address the impact of climate change”
The protection term extension has long been requested by CIOPORA and the fellow breeder associations, such as Plantum and Euroseeds.
According to the approved Proposal, the extension shall apply to rights granted before, on, or after Regulation comes into force. The Proposal will now pass to the EU Council for the final adoption. The resolution shall enter into force on the 20th day of its publication in the official journal of the EU.
The CPVO has informed CIOPORA that they intend to coordinate with its Registry to inform title-holders, whose CPVR titles become eligible for extension.