EU negotiations on easing new genetic engineering start

Brussels – The members of the Environment Committee in the EU Parliament voted on Tuesday to begin negotiations with the other EU institutions regarding the new EU regulations on New Genetic Technologies (NGT) in plant breeding. The legislative proposal from the EU Commission stipulates that some new genomic methods should no longer fall under the strict rules for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The positions of the EU institutions are partly far apart.

The so-called trilogue negotiations, which will result in a joint regulation, could therefore take longer. This must then be formally approved by the EU Parliament and the Council before it can come into force. Skeptics of genetic engineering reject the proposals, while they found support in the agricultural sector. Austrian EU parliamentarians also view the new regulation critically: During the vote on the Parliament’s position a year ago, i.e., still in the last legislative period before the EU elections, the present Austrian representatives voted against it, except for the NEOS. Criticism was also voiced today.

Criticism from ÖVP and Greens

Alexander Bernhuber, agricultural and environmental spokesperson for the Austrian ÖVP in the European Parliament, emphasized to APA: “With the start of negotiations today, it becomes clear how great the differences between the Commission, the Council of Member States, and the European Parliament still are on issues such as patentability, plant variety protection, and labeling. Especially in light of these widely differing positions, it is all the more important that national peculiarities, as they exist in Austria, are respected and preserved. For us, it is clear: Without mandatory labeling, freedom of choice, and national self-determination, there can be no approval.”

The Green EU delegation leader Thomas Waitz stated that, thanks to pressure from the Greens, the Parliament’s position has been improved in some areas compared to the Commission’s proposal. He mentioned a stronger environmental risk assessment, mandatory labeling of NGT1 plants, and a ban on patents for NGT plants. The biggest problem areas for the Greens are the lack of transparency for consumers: If NGT falls out of the regulation, there will be no obligation for labeling anymore. In contrast to the current legal situation, in the future, 94 percent of all seed varieties produced with new genetic technology will no longer undergo approval procedures, including risk analyses and investigations into environmental impacts.

Point of contention: Patents on NGT plants

According to the Commission’s proposal, new mutation methods such as the gene scissors Crispr/Cas (Category NGT-1) should be easier to use in the future, and thus treated plants should no longer be labeled as genetically modified. The goal of deregulation is, among other things, to breed crops that are more resistant to water scarcity or pests. NGT methods with non-crossable species, known as transgenesis (Category NGT-2), should, however, fall under the existing GMO regulations.

The biggest point of contention among EU countries was whether there should be patents on NGT varieties. The Council’s position now provides that information about existing or pending patents should be stored in a publicly accessible database. This should list all plants that have the status of an NGT plant of category 1. There should be an opt-out for cultivation: According to the Council’s mandate, member states should be able to decide to prohibit the cultivation of NGT plants of category 2 in their territory. According to the EU Commission, a once granted approval or registration should apply EU-wide in any case. (10.04.2025)