Brussels: The European Parliament has adopted new rules facilitating access to new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields, and require fewer pesticides. The amended rules for new genomic techniques (NGTs) were provisionally agreed between Parliament and Council in December 2025.
According to Emirates News Agency, the new EU rules mark a shift towards regulating plants based on their final genetic makeup rather than the methods used to create them. NGT-altered plants will be divided into two categories with distinct legal obligations. NGT-1 is designated for plants with a limited number and type of changes that could have occurred through conventional breeding. Once verified to meet the criteria for NGT-1 status, they will be treated like conventional plants. However, plants engineered for herbicide-tolerance or to produce insecticidal substances cannot qualify as NGT-1 plants.
NGT-2 covers plants that have undergone more extensive or complex genetic modifications. These will be subjected to the existing stringent GMO rules and require a risk assessment and authorisation before commercialisation in the EU. The rules will apply to plants originating in Europe and those imported. Several products made from NGT plants are already on the market or in advanced development outside the EU, such as low-gluten wheat, pathogen-resistant potatoes, and drought-tolerant maize.
Rapporteur Jessica Polfj¤rd hailed the decision as a historic victory for Europe's farmers and future. She emphasized that by approving the use of NGTs, innovation, competitiveness, and food security have been prioritized. European farmers have long sought access to these modern breeding tools to develop crops that are more resilient and less reliant on pesticides. The regulation is set to enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal and will apply two years later.