Newly proposed rules for NGT plants attempt to balance equivalence, sustainability, and science-based risk-assessment

Abstract In July 2023, the European Commission presented a draft regulation on plants obtained by certain New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). Following initial intra- and subsequent inter-institutional negotiations, the Council, Parliament and Commission agreed on a final draft version in December 2025 as part of the usual legislative procedure. It sets out rules for the categorisation and regulation of NGT plants. Here, we summarise the key points of the regulatory proposal and provide a critical analysis on the conflicting combination of two divergent sets of categorisation criteria. In this article potential challenges of the current regulatory proposal and its implementation are highlighted.