Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Council of the European Union has adopted a regulation on new genomic techniques (NGTs) to support a more sustainable and competitive agrifood sector within the EU. The regulation aims to improve food security, reduce external dependencies, and uphold high standards for human and animal health and environmental protection, while enabling the development of climate-resilient and resource-efficient crops.
The regulation classifies NGT plants into two categories. Category 1 (NGT-1) includes plants considered equivalent to conventional varieties; their status will be verified by national authorities, and their offspring will not require further checks. Products from NGT-1 plants will not be labelled, except for seeds and reproductive material, allowing operators to maintain NGT-free supply chains if desired. Traits such as herbicide tolerance and production of known insecticidal substances are excluded from this category.
Category 2 (NGT-2) covers plants with more complex genetic modifications and remains subject to current EU GMO legislation, including authorisation, traceability, and mandatory labelling. Member states may opt out of cultivating NGT-2 plants and implement measures to prevent their unintended presence in other products.
Regarding intellectual property, while patent rules remain governed by the EU Biotech Directive, the regulation introduces new transparency requirements. Developers of NGT-1 plants must provide relevant patent information in a public database and may voluntarily indicate licensing intentions under fair conditions. An expert group will assess patent impacts on these plants. Within a year of the regulation’s entry into force, the European Commission will publish a study on the effects of patenting on innovation, seed availability, and sector competitiveness, and may propose further actions.
The European Parliament must formally adopt the regulation. After adoption, it will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, with most provisions applying thereafter.