On April 29th the European Commission (EC) published its long-awaited study on new genomic techniques (NGTs), defined as techniques capable to change the genetic material of an organism and that have emerged or have been developed since 2001, when the existing GMO legislation was adopted. 

The EU Council requested this study after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled the case c-528/16, in July 2018, classifying plants obtained with modern techniques of genome editing, such as CRISPR-Cas9, as genetically modified organisms (GMO). Several European organizations and scientific institutions, including CRAG, expressed their concern on this ruling, pointing out that it would mean that genome-edited crops in which the edit is not different from a mutation that is present in nature or can be achieved by conventional breeding methods, need to go through a laborious and expensive process before being approved for cultivation in Europe.

The study now published by the EC acknowledges that the applicable legislation is not fit for purpose for some NGTs and their products, and that it needs to be adapted to scientific and technological progress. Furthermore, as organizations and networks like EU-SAGE, EPSO, and Plant ETP, had been adverting during the lasts years, the EC study confirms that NGT products have the potential to contribute to sustainable agri-food systems in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy. These three organizations, in which CRAG takes part, have welcomed the EC study and look forward to further engage in conversations on this topic with the Commission and all other stakeholders.

Read more about it at previous CRAG news.