EU: deal concluded between Council and Parliament on new genomic techniques (NGT) plants

A framework for a simplified development and access to market of category 1 NGT plants (similar to conventional): this is the provisional agreement concluded between the European Council and the European Parliament on 03/12/2025, two years after the first bill on the topic proposed by the Commission, in July 2023.

This agreement will enable operators to develop, market and grow genetically edited seeds, thanks to the use of Crispr-Cas9 technology, also known as "genetic scissors". According to the terms of the agreement, the number of traits modifications must not exceed 20, a number of modifications that would also occur in natur or through conventional breedings: when respecting these two limits (technology and number of modified traits), seeds and plants will fall in the Category 1 NGTs, similar to conventional plants. Category 2 NGTs, including more than 20 traits modifications, will fall under the European GM0s regulation, adopted in 2001.

A number of concerns on intellectual property, labelling and trackability, on as well as on sustainability and environmental issues, have…