The European Parliament has approved new rules on genetically modified plants, clearing the way for a revised framework covering crops developed through new genomic techniques (NGTs).
First proposed by the European Commission in 2023, the legislation was provisionally agreed by Parliament and the European Council in December 2025.
It changes the way certain modified plants are regulated, shifting the focus to the genetic characteristics of the final plant rather than the method used to create them.
Jessica Polfjärd, a member of the European Parliament and parliamentary rapporteur on the NGT legislation, called the approval a “historic victory for Europe's farmers and Europe's future”.
Polfjärd said in a statement: "European farmers have long been calling for access to these modern breeding tools, to help them develop crops that are more resilient and less dependent on pesticides.
“By making these safe, science-based breeding technologies available, Parliament is delivering for European farmers, safeguarding our food security, and building a more competitive and innovative Europe.”
Under the new framework, NGT plants will be split into two categories. NGT-1 covers plants with limited genetic changes that could also occur through conventional breeding.
Once verified, these will be treated like conventional crops.
NGT-2 applies to plants with more extensive or complex genetic alterations and will remain subject to existing EU GMO rules, including risk assessment and authorisation before commercialisation.
The rules will apply to both EU-grown and imported plants.
“Several products made from NGT plants are already available on the market or in advanced development outside the EU. Examples include low-gluten wheat, pathogen-resistant potatoes, and drought-tolerant maize,” the statement read.
For NGT-2 plants, traceability and labelling requirements will remain in force, while member states will keep the option to restrict or ban cultivation even after EU approval.
The regulation also requires monitoring of the sustainability effects of NGT plants.
NGTs will not be allowed in organic production, although the “technically unavoidable presence of NGT-1 plants would not constitute non-compliance”, according to the Parliament.
The rules also permit patents for NGTs, except for traits or sequences found in nature or produced by biological means.
Farm groups Copa and Cogeca welcomed what they called a “landmark decision that opens the door to the next generation of crop varieties for European agriculture”.
In a statement, they said the framework is expected to speed up the development of varieties with greater resistance to pests and diseases, stronger tolerance to drought and heat, and more "stable and higher" yields.
"At a time when European agriculture faces increasing climate, environmental and market challenges, access to better-performing crop varieties is essential to ensure food security, sustainability and competitiveness," Copa and Cogeca added.
