The European Parliament approves new rules to develop crops that are more resistant to climate change and pests, and more productive
Brussels, 17 June / WAM / The European Parliament today approved new rules to regulate the use of new genomic technologies in the production of agricultural plants, with the aim of developing crops that are more resistant to climate change and pests, more productive, and less dependent on agricultural pesticides.
The decision comes after an interim agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in December 2025 on the new legislative framework.
The new rules stipulate that plants modified with new genomic technologies are divided into two categories. The first category includes plants that contain limited genetic modifications that can occur naturally or through traditional breeding, and they will be treated legally as traditional plants after verifying that they meet the required conditions, with the exclusion of plants designed to tolerate herbicides or produce insecticidal substances from this category.
The second category includes plants that have undergone more complex genetic modifications, and will remain subject to the current strict rules on GMOs, including risk assessment and obtaining a license before marketing them within the European Union.
The new rules will apply to plants produced within the European Union as well as imported from abroad. Among the products available or under development globally are low-gluten wheat, disease-resistant potatoes, and drought-tolerant corn.
The legislation maintained traceability and labeling requirements for Category 2 plants, while giving member states the right to restrict or ban their cultivation on their territory.
Plant varieties belonging to the first category will be included in a public European database, with clear labels on seeds and reproductive materials.
The European Parliament confirmed the ban on the use of new genomic technologies in organic production, while allowing unintended and technically unavoidable effects from Category 1 plants without considering this a violation of organic standards.
In the field of intellectual property rights, legislation allows the granting of patents for some applications of new genomic technologies, with the exception of genetic traits or sequences that exist naturally or are produced by biological means, while including guarantees to protect farmers and prevent market monopoly.
The rapporteur of the parliamentary file, Jessica Boulevard, said that the adoption of these rules represents “a historic victory for European farmers and the future of Europe,” stressing that the new technologies will enhance food security, competitiveness and agricultural innovation in the European Union.
The legislation will enter into force twenty days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, and its application will begin two years after that date.
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