April 2025 Update on Regulation of New Genomic Techniques in the EU

On March 14, 2025, EU Member States agreed in the European Council on a common position to move forward with development of new rules for certain genetically modified plants generated using modern precision breeding methods that, in the EU, are collectively termed "new genomic techniques" (NGTs). This agreement came after months of political deadlock and allows new formal negotiations with the European Parliament to begin. It marks a pivotal step forward in advancing the legislative proposal adopted by the European Commission on July 5, 2023 (Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques and their food and feed, and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/625; 2023 Proposal), which aims to create new regulations tailored to plants produced using NGTs (NGT Regulation) in order to adapt the EU regulatory landscape to better fit the technological developments of recent decades in the field of plant breeding. Thus, the March 2025 agreement sets the stage for further negotiations, bringing the EU closer to finalization and implementation of the NGT Regulation.

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