EU Proposal for Gene-Edited Plants Gets First Green Light from Parliament

ISAAA January 31, 2024

On January 24, 2024, the European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI) approved the Proposal on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). With 47 votes in favor to 31 against, and 4 abstentions, this marks a significant advancement in fostering plant breeding innovations in the region

The Proposal, released in July 2023, introduces a new regulatory framework, distinguishing NGTs like targeted mutagenesis and cis-genesis from transgenics. Under the proposed regime, NGT plants would be regulated more like the ones derived from traditional breeding methods.

The MEPs agreed that NGT seeds must be labeled accordingly but that there would be no mandatory labeling at the consumer level for the NGT 1 products. They also voted to keep all NGTs out of organic production to prevent EU countries from banning them in their territory. The MEPs also voted to introduce a full ban on patents for NGTs “to avoid legal uncertainties, increased costs, and new dependencies for farmers and breeders”.

The European Parliament is expected to vote on the proposed law in plenary on February 6, 2024.

For more details, read the news articles in EuroSeeds and Euractiv.