Statement on the Trilogue on the Regulation of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in the EU
Gatersleben, 04 December 2025
The Eco-Progressive Network (EcoProg) welcomes the agreement reached between the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission at their joint meeting within the framework of the trilogue negotiations on 3 December 2025.
More than two years after the European Commission presented its draft for a new regulation, a good compromise has now been achieved
comments Dr. Robert Hoffie, Co-Chair of EcoProg. The negotiated outcome must still be approved by both the European Parliament and the Council.
The European Commission’s proposal has been largely preserved, though many details were the subject of lengthy debate. The compromises now found—particularly on the patenting of traits produced using NGTs and on the labelling of NGT seed—made the agreement possible.
It is right and important that the EU, with this new legal framework for CRISPR & Co. in plant breeding, enables meaningful applications of New Genomic Techniques instead of hindering their use across the board, as has previously been the case
says Co-Chair Dr. Margareta Hellmann in welcoming the agreement. Thanks to the simplifications for plants in the NGT1 category, genetically equivalent plants would now also be treated equally under the law.
Should the Council and Parliament approve the draft as it stands, a two-year implementation phase would follow. After that, simple applications of NGTs—particularly those resulting only in small mutations in plants—would be largely treated the same as conventionally bred plants. This would also enable field trials for research with such plants, as well as their use in plant breeding.
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About EcoProg:
The Eco-Progressive Network (Öko-Progressive Netzwerk e. V.) promotes exchange between science, politics, and society through active science communication. It also organizes political actions by scientists, such as the #GiveGenesAChance campaign, in which young plant researchers from across Europe advocate for the sustainable use of New Genomic Techniques.
