A Decisive Week for European Agriculture: Copa-Cogeca Calls for a Clear Legal Framework on New Genomic Techniques

According to Copa-Cogeca, this week is expected to mark a decisive moment for European agriculture, as discussions advance toward the first EU regulation on new genomic techniques (NGTs).

A clear legal framework is crucial to secure investments in European seed development across all regions and sectors. It will also enable farmers to access plant varieties better adapted to climate change—offering drought resistance, pest and disease tolerance, and improved yields. Enhanced seeds are a vital tool for farmers to ensure food security.

Copa and Cogeca welcome the commitment of the Polish Presidency to move the file forward and bring Member States closer to a qualified majority. We support the Council Presidency's text, which provides much-needed clarity by exempting category 1 NGT plants from the scope of EU GMO legislation.

Maintaining a harmonized approach is essential. Any opt-out clauses would undermine the single market and create competitive imbalances. Similarly, mandatory traceability and labeling requirements would be unnecessary, as existing seed databases and national variety lists already provide sufficient transparency.

It is also critical that the sustainability assessment remains within the Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) framework to ensure that new plant varieties deliver tangible benefits.

Progressing the PRM discussions and concluding the first reading before the end of the Polish Presidency would facilitate parallel trilogues on both interconnected legislative acts.

Copa and Cogeca urge EU policymakers to adopt a pragmatic, science-based approach that will allow NGTs and PRMs to contribute to a more sustainable and competitive European agriculture.