The European Parliament approved at second reading, on Wednesday 17 June, the text of the compromise with the EU Council on the regulation governing the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs), after rejecting the 37 amendments tabled by the S&D, Greens/EFA and The Left groups.
The EU Council and the European Parliament had reached an agreement in principle in December 2025. The EU Council adopted the text on 21 April (https://aeur.eu/f/lmp ).
Plants modified using NGTs will be classified into two categories, subject to different legal obligations. Full traceability and labelling will remain mandatory for category 2 NGT plants.
In addition, Member States may restrict or prohibit their cultivation, even if it is authorised at EU level.
The use of NGTs will not be authorised in organic production, but the technically unavoidable presence of category 1 NGT plants would not constitute a breach of the applicable rules.
NGTs may be patented, with the exception of traits or sequences present in nature or obtained through biological processes.
The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and will be applicable two years later.
Mixed reactions. The rapporteur, Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, Swedish), told the press that this will provide farmers with innovative tools to meet the challenges ahead.
A coalition of 30 organisations from Europe’s agri-food chain welcomed the approval of the text. In a statement, those organisations say that the adopted text is balanced and science-based, supports innovation in plant breeding, while ensuring transparency, safety and legal clarity. The coalition believes that this framework will make it possible to develop more resilient crop varieties (climate, disease, pests, resource usage) and will contribute to resilience and food security. It stresses that these technologies are already being used in other regions of the world and that the EU must remain competitive. The 30 signatory organisations include Euroseeds, Copa-Cogeca, CropLife Europe, FoodDrinkEurope and EuropaBio (details: https://aeur.eu/f/mdz ).
Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French), who was behind most of the amendments tabled, said that the text as adopted favours the major agrochemical multinationals to the detriment of European farmers and seed producers, and risks increasing the privatisation of living organisms. He denounced the European Parliament’s “abdication” in the face of the interests of the world’s major private groups. He also pointed out that Jordan Bardella (PfE, French), who voted in 2024 in favour of traceability and against patents, this time voted “against traceability and in favour of NGT patents”.
The European Parliament rejected, in particular, an amendment providing for provisions to prevent the exclusive control of essential plant traits by patent holders (see EUROPE 13862/15).
For Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA, Austrian), “the total deregulation of NGTs will generate huge profits for mega-corporations while depriving consumers of transparency and farmers of their sovereignty”. It will open the door to patented seeds, leading to serious legal problems for small and medium-sized farmers as well as independent seed breeders, he said.
IFOAM Organics Europe believes that patents may “limit access to genetic resources and lead to increased market concentration”.
According to the European Non-GMO Industry Association (ENGA), the European Parliament has “chosen the biotechnology industry” to the detriment of food supply chains, small breeders, farmers and consumers. MEPs failed to secure safeguards, particularly on the labelling and traceability of new GMOs, according to ENGA. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)