b'Above: On many occasions, Mannerkorpi has been a speaker or panellist.Right: Mannerkorpi attending an EU meeting.SWE: LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES OR UNRESOLVED CHALLENGES IN SEED LEGISLATION AND PLANT VARIETY RIGHTS IN THE EU?PM: The most important issue is to modernise the legislative frame-work on seeds, integrate new technologies and production methods, making all tools available, harmonise among the Member States and ensure its relevance for the decades to come. We are facing great challenges around us on climate change, loss of agribiodiversity, environmental degradation as well as geopolitical aggressions. I believe that plant breeding has a key role to play and hopefully it can deliver. The new Commissions policies concentrate on EUs com-petitiveness and sustainability. Specifically on plant variety rights, the legislation and Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) will be first evaluated. Most likely there is a need to focus on needs around improving provisional protection, enforcement on farm saved seedwith UPOV has benefited both sides. We have also been sharing as well as administrative changes. general EU policies on sustainability and climate change to guide international discussions in directions that support these objectives. SWE: YOUVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE CPVO AND HAVESeminars on request of the EU were organised. ALSO ATTENDED MANY UPOV MEETINGS. HOW HAS SUCH INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION INFLUENCED EU POLI SWE: AS YOU PREPARE TO RETIRE, WHATS NEXT FOR YOU? CIES IN THIS FIELD AND VICE VERSA? DO YOU PLAN TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE WORLD OF PM: Firstly, the seed/PVR sector is from the outset very interna- SEEDS IN ANY WAY, OR ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO tional, and the EU is active in shaping the UPOV policies and deci- SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?sion making. The EUs CPVO has shared its expertise and UPOVPM: The very first thing is to move back home to Finland. I am has taken up the advances of the CPVO to help the developmentnot planning to be professionally active but will follow general of worldwide system. Secondly, the general principle across the EUdevelopments in agriculture. Some of my relatives are still active legal frameworks is to keep EU legislation aligned with interna- in agriculture and I hope they will continue to do so. The plan is tional standards, also ensuring that EU plant breeders can protectto finally do things I never had time for including voluntary work. their varieties internationally under a recognised framework thatWe will be living both in Finland and Belgium and spend time in facilitates global trade. I would say that the 20 years of cooperationSouth-Europe. SEPTEMBER 2025|SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 7'