Prague, May 17 (CTK) – The Czech Senate approved the government-proposed bill introducing more accurate rules for the use of genetic sources according to EU regulations on Thursday.
The legislation defines the circumstances of sending the collections of genetic sources to the EU register.
It is yet to be signed by President Milos Zeman.
According to the legislation, the sending to the register administered by the European Commission will be evaluated by the Environment Ministry.
The observance of the conditions for access to genetic sources will be checked by the environmental inspection. It may fine the breach of the rules with up to 50,000 crowns and the money will be sent to the National Environment Fund.
The legislation defines the genetic source as any “material of plant, animal or microbial origin containing functional units of heredity and with an importance for man from the viewpoint of its further use.”
The legislation was already passed by the government to the lawmakers in the previous election term. However, it stayed in the Chamber of Deputies before the second reading, due to which the transposition of the EU regulation into the Czech legislation was delayed.
Last October, the European Commission told the Environment Ministry that it would start proceedings over the breach of duty against the Czech Republic.
