European Union: European Parliament Passes Landmark New Genomic Techniques Regulation

On June 17, 2026, the European Parliament voted to give final approval to the regulation on plants obtained through new genomic techniques (NGTs), concluding the EU legislative process. The regulation now proceeds to signature and publication in the Official Journal. A 2-year implementation period will follow, during which the European Commission will develop the necessary secondary legislation and implementing acts. The new framework establishes two regulatory pathways based on a plant's equivalence to conventionally bred varieties. Category 1 plants - deemed equivalent to conventionally bred varieties - follow a simplified regulatory pathway, while Category 2 plants remain subject to the existing genetically modified organism (GMO) framework. The regulation is expected to provide greater regulatory predictability, foster innovation, and open new market opportunities for NGT-derived crop varieties, bringing the EU in line with regulatory approaches already adopted in other major agricultural markets.