Historic EU Agreement on New Genomic Techniques: A New Framework for Improved Crops

The Council and the European Parliament reach a provisional agreement that simplifies the regulation of improved crops and ensures greater sustainability.

The main point of the agreement is the division of NTG plants into two categories, thus determining their level of regulation.

• Category 1 or NTG-1: These are the plants considered equivalent to conventional or natural varieties. These remain exempt from the requirements of legislation on Genetically Modified Organisms.
• Category 2 or NGT-2: These are the plants with the most complex or least “natural/equivalent” modifications. These continue subject to the strict requirements of GMO regulations.

The agreement includes exceptions for certain features of the NTG-1 category, requiring them to be classified as NTG-2: the herbicide tolerance and the production of a known insecticidal substance. And Member States are permitted to apply a exclusion clause (“opt-out”) to prohibit the cultivation of NTG-2 plants in its territory. The regulation also introduces the obligation to publish information on existing or pending NTG-1 patents in a public database and encourages voluntary licenses under equitable conditions.