The Faculty of Biology (University of Warsaw) joins the discussion on regulations for the use of genetic resources

16 02 2026

The Herbarium of the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, has joined the evaluation process of European regulations on the use of genetic resources and the fair sharing of benefits arising from their use.

The legal basis governing access to the world’s biological resources is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol. Their main goal is to ensure that countries providing resources (such as plants, animals, or microorganisms) share in the benefits resulting from research carried out on them.

In the European Union, these rules are implemented through Regulation 511/2014. It requires researchers to demonstrate due diligence – meaning they must prove that every sample obtained from abroad has the appropriate legal documentation from the country of origin.

In recent years, practice has shown that this very strict approach leads to excessive costs, administrative burden, and slower research work. As part of the periodic review of EU legislation, the European Commission published a call for evidence to identify possible directions for changes in the law. A total of 50 opinions were submitted from across the EU. One of the best documented positions was the response prepared by the German Nagoya HuB, recommending a major simplification of procedures for basic (non-commercial) research.

The Herbarium of the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, took part in developing the position submitted to the Commission. The Faculty was represented by Dr Kamil E. Frankiewicz at a meeting of Nagoya Protocol experts in December 2025 in Braunschweig, Germany. As a result, the Faculty of Biology joined the group of institutions supporting this position, alongside leading German universities and institutions such as the Max Planck Institute.

Taking this shared voice of the academic community into account by the European Commission may lead to a more friendly and transparent legal environment for research in the natural sciences.

• All opinions submitted to the European Commission are available here:
  https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14822-Use-of-genetic-resources-and-the-sharing-of-benefits-arising-from-their-use-evaluation-of-EU-rules_en

• The German Nagoya HuB position, supported by the Faculty of Biology (University of Warsaw), is available directly here:
  https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14822-Use-of-genetic-resources-and-the-sharing-of-benefits-arising-from-their-use-evaluation-of-EU-rules/F33372746_en

Support for researchers

We would like to remind you that staff members and PhD students conducting research using biological resources from abroad can receive support with the required documentation from the Dean’s Representative for the Nagoya Protocol and CITES: Dr Kamil E. Frankiewicz, biopermits@uw.edu.pl