The rules governing new gene editing techniques for plants – called “new genomic techniques” (NGTs) – are being changed at EU level. Gene-edited plants will be divided into two categories, depending on the type and number of edits involved. Those with few genetic changes that could have occurred through conventional breeding techniques will be considered conventional plants, while the rest will have to follow the same strict rules as GMOs.
The new law was adopted by the European Parliament on 17 June 2026 and will apply from mid-2028.
What are GMOs?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using modern biotechnology in ways that could not occur naturally through traditional breeding.
This technology has made it possible both to create novel traits in plants and to enhance existing ones, such as insect resistance or herbicide tolerance.
Farmers have been altering plants’ genetics for thousands of years using conventional techniques, such as selection and crossbreeding. This process has gradually transformed wild species into the crops we farm today.
Are GMOs currently banned in the EU?
GMOs are allowed in the EU, but the rules in place since 2001 are among the strictest in the world and EU countries can ban GM crops from being cultivated on their territory.
While several GMOs are authorised for import into the EU, the only GM crop currently approved for cultivation in the EU is MON810, an insect-resistant maize variety grown mainly in Spain, primarily for animal feed.
GMOs can only be produced in the EU or imported if they pass a case-by-case scientific risk assessment, conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). There are also strict rules on labelling and traceability.
What are new genomic techniques (NGTs) and how are they different from GMOs?
New developments in biotechnology have led to a variety of new gene editing techniques, encompassed in the term “new genomic techniques” (NGTs).
The big difference between GMOs and NGTs is that GMOs are mostly made by inserting a gene from a different species into a plant, while NGTs allow targeted changes to a plant’s own DNA.
GMOs contain genetic material that could not have arrived there through conventional breeding, whereas NGTs accelerate changes that could have happened with traditional techniques.
What are the new EU rules on new genomic techniques?
The new EU rules mark a shift towards regulating based on what the final plant looks like genetically, not how it was made.
NGT-altered plants are split between two categories, with different legal obligations attached.
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- NGT-1 — This category is for plants with edits that could have occurred through conventional breeding. These will be treated like conventional plants, exhibiting a limited number and type of changes. Plants engineered for herbicide-tolerance or to produce insecticidal substances cannot be treated as NGT-1 plants.
- NGT-2 — This category is for plants that have undergone more extensive or complex genetic modifications. These are covered by the existing strict GMO rules and will be subject to risk assessment, authorisation, labelling, traceability, and member-state opt-outs for cultivation.
Neither NGT-1 nor NGT-2 plants will be allowed in organic production.
Are NGTs safe?
The EFSA, the EU’s scientific authority on food safety, plus several major scientific bodies, including national academies of science across Europe have concluded that plants meeting the NGT-1 criteria do not pose hazards beyond those of conventional breeding.
At the request of the European Parliament, under the new rules, plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and insecticide-producing traits are explicitly excluded from the NGT-1 category, to address concerns about agricultural and ecological knock-on effects.
NGT-2 plants – those with more extensive modifications – will be subject to the full GMO authorisation regime, precisely because the safety assessment for them is less straightforward. Full traceability and labelling will remain obligatory for NGT-2 plants and EU countries may restrict or prohibit the plants’ cultivation even if they have been authorised for cultivation in the EU, in line with the current rules on GMOs.
What advantages do NGTs offer farmers and consumers?
For European farmers, NGTs will give much quicker access to improved plant varieties that are climate- and pest-resistant, give higher yields, or require fewer fertilisers and pesticides. This will reduce farmers’ dependency on imports and improve their competitiveness.
EU consumers will meanwhile benefit from a more sustainable and resilient food system as NGTs can deliver healthier products, longer shelf life and less food waste, with a smaller environmental footprint per meal.
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Crop gene editing greenlighted by European Parliament. Fight over labeling looms as measure moves to the EU Council
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Why has the European Parliament adopted new rules on NGTs?
Without the new rules, all NGT-edited plants would fall under the existing GMO rules, which were written before the recent gene-editing techniques were invented.
This would mean that any plant gene edit that swapped a single DNA letter (something that regularly happens spontaneously in nature) would face the same authorisation requirements as a much more complex edit, such as inserting a bacterial gene into maize.
Without these changes, the concern was that very few NGTs would be approved for use in the EU. Europe would become a mere consumer of gene-edited plants (e.g. through imports of processed food products) without participating in developing them, losing scientific expertise, agricultural competitiveness, and economic value.
The European Parliament believes the new rules strike the right balance between enabling innovation in sustainable agriculture and maintaining strong safeguards: lighter rules for plants bred using techniques equivalent to conventional breeding, and full GMO rules for plants that have undergone more complex modifications.
A version of this article was originally posted by the European Parliament and has been reposted here. Any reposting should credit the original author and provide links to both the GLP and the original article. Find the European Parliament on X @Europarl_EN
