NGT regulation adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council: "a way to avoid discussing the content" (FoEE)

On 21/04/2026, Foreign Affairs Ministers gathered in Brussels and endorsed the New Genomic Techniques (NGT) Regulation, as well as the Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) Regulation, without discussion, before moving on to the war in Ukraine and in Iran, the situation in the Middle East, in the South Caucasus and in Sudan.

A rather eclectic programme for a Foreign Affairs Council, justified by the Council as a "regular procedure" that can be used to "speed up the process".

"It is noteworthy that the first vote by EU ministers on this file since 2023 is taken by Foreign Affairs Ministers rather than those responsible for agriculture or the environment", reacts the NGO Friends of the Earth Europe. "This clearly shows this NGTs file is part of a broader deregulatory agenda from European decision-makers."

Mute Schimpf, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, answered News Tank questions on these more political than procedural choices.

FoEE pointed out the lack of coherence of having Foreign Affairs Ministers voting on the New Genomic Techniques regulation. Why wouldn't they?

The…