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3.223. No major changes were introduced regarding plants and plant products since the last Review. Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests extends the definition of pests to include non-parasitic plants that could have a severe economic, social, or environmental impact within the EU. (...)

3.228. The procedure for approving GMOs has not changed. An application for approval for use of a GMO for food, feed, cultivation, or release on the market for other purposes (e.g. cut flowers) must be made to the competent authority in a member State. (...) Directive (EU) 2015/412 gives member States more flexibility to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of a GMO in their territory, either during the authorization procedure, by demanding to exclude their territory from the geographical scope of the application, or, after authorization has been granted, by adopting measures that prohibit or restrict cultivation of specific GMOs. The Commission also proposed a review of the decision-making process on GMOs to allow member States to restrict or prohibit the use, in part or all of their territory, of GM food and feed authorized at EU level for compelling reasons other than the risk to human or animal health or to the environment.

3.229. As at the end of September 2019, 1 GMO was approved for cultivation (with ongoing procedures for renewal of authorization) and 139 for food and feed uses. In addition, 2 applications (excluding the ongoing renewal) for cultivation and 51 for food and feed uses were pending. Six GMO flowers are also approved for sale in the EU.

3.236. The 3.3.3.3 Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) allows food and feed authorities of the member States and the Commission to exchange information about measures taken in response to direct and indirect risks to human health from food, and human and animal health and the environment from feed. (...)

Box 3.3 Government procurement strategic priorities
Ensuring wider uptake of strategic public procurement
(...)
• update guidance on green and social procurement, and provide guidance on innovation procurement;
(...)

3.296. (...) Another support tool for public buyers is the e-Competence Centre. It provides information on, inter alia, green, innovative procurement (...)

3.313. Similarly, the chapter on procurement of the EPA of the EU with Japan incorporates the GPA as part of the Agreement, and its norms apply mutatis mutandis. It goes beyond the text of the GPA, in that it puts in place further transparency mechanisms, refers more explicitly to environmental considerations, and sets additional norms on review mechanisms. (...)

4.10. Apart from the small farmers' scheme (see below), all direct payment programmes are subject to provisions to ensure compliance with basic standards relating to the environment, food safety, animal and plant health, and animal welfare (cross-compliance).

4.15. Eighteen member States apply the Basic Payment Scheme , while all others apply the Single Area Payment Scheme. Each of the ten member States using the Single Area Payment Scheme provides a uniform payment per eligible hectare. Eligibility for either Scheme is a precondition for the complementary payments under the decoupled income schemes (the greening payment, the young farmers' scheme, payments for areas with natural constraints, the small farmers' scheme, and redistributive payments).

4.19. Each member State is required to allocate 30% of the annual national ceiling for direct payments to agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment (greening). Farmers that are entitled to payment under the Basic Payment Scheme or the Single Area Payment Scheme must observe, on all their eligible hectares, the following greening practices: (i) crop diversification applying for holdings over 10 ha; (ii) maintenance of existing permanent grassland; and (iii) having an ecological focus area (EFA), applying to at least 5% of the area of holdings over 15 ha.