European Parliament approves looser rules for gene-edited crops across the bloc

The European Parliament gave final approval on Thursday to the European Union’s new legal framework for plants developed with new genomic techniques, a decision that supporters say could speed the use of gene-edited crops across the bloc while critics warn it weakens consumer safeguards.

Meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, lawmakers confirmed the political agreement reached in December 2025 with EU member states and rejected all amendments, leaving the core structure of the regulation unchanged. The new rules distinguish between two categories of plants produced with new genomic techniques, known in Italy as TEA, or assisted evolution techniques.

Under the approved text, category 1 plants, defined as equivalent to conventional plants, will be exempt from current EU GMO rules. Those plants will not carry consumer-facing labels, although their seeds will have to be labeled. Category 2 plants, which involve more complex genomic changes, will remain subject to GMO rules and labeling requirements. The regulation will apply both to crops developed within Europe and to imports. It will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU’s Official Journal and will apply after two years.

The vote marks a major policy shift for European agriculture after years of debate over whether gene-editing methods should be regulated in the same way as older transgenic GMOs. Farm groups including Coldiretti and Filiera Italia called the decision a turning point for Italian and European agriculture, saying it could help producers respond to climate change and reduce the use of chemical inputs. The two organizations argued that the techniques do not create new species but instead make targeted changes that can reproduce mechanisms similar to natural selection, potentially improving resistance to drought stress and diseases such as powdery mildew.

That point matters for the drinks sector because vineyards, barley fields and other beverage-related crops are increasingly exposed to heat, water stress and plant disease. If the new framework leads to wider use of more resilient grapevines or brewing grains, producers could eventually gain tools to stabilize yields and cut pesticide use, though those effects will depend on research results, national implementation and market acceptance.

Italian farm organization Cia-Agricoltori Italiani said the decision gives Europe a chance to recover ground lost to other major producing countries where such techniques have already been used for years. Its president, Cristiano Fini, said climate change and crop diseases are already causing yield swings of between 20% and 49%, and argued that varietal innovation could help develop plants that need less water and adapt better while preserving productivity.

Confcooperative Agroalimentare e Pesca also welcomed the vote, saying the techniques could help farmers cope with climate-related pressures and with the declining availability of traditional crop protection tools. The group said consumers could benefit if growers are able to reduce their use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Italy’s agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, described the Strasbourg vote as a historic turning point for European farming and said Italy had backed the measure from the start. He said assisted evolution techniques could give Italian farmers access to varieties better able to resist disease and climate stress while supporting more stable production.

Academic researchers also praised the outcome. The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan said the vote recognized the role of public research in developing practical agricultural solutions. The university launched Italy’s first open-field trial in 2024 of rice obtained through assisted evolution techniques, aiming to produce plants more resistant to rice blast, a major fungal disease.

Supporters in Italy have also pointed to possible applications in viticulture. Coldiretti Toscana and Vigneto Toscana, working with CREA-Ve, the University of Udine and Consorzio Agrario del Tirreno, are involved in a research project on what they describe as the first Sangiovese vine developed through these techniques. According to the organizations, the first plant is now growing in vitro at CREA laboratories in Conegliano Veneto, with initial field applications expected from spring 2027.

Not all agricultural groups are satisfied with the final text. Confagricoltura welcomed Parliament’s approval overall but criticized a provision allowing member states to ban cultivation of category 2 plants on their own territory through a national opt-out. It said that approach risks fragmenting the single market and limiting equal access to innovation across the European Union.

Opposition has been sharper from food and biodynamic groups. Slow Food called the decision a betrayal of farmers, biodiversity and citizens’ rights. The organization argued that excluding some new genomic technique plants from safety controls, traceability systems and labeling obligations would make them effectively invisible once placed on the market and make responsibility harder to establish if negative effects emerge.

Demeter Italia, which represents biodynamic producers, processors and distributors, said Parliament had taken what it called a historic step backward by opening the way for most gene-edited plants to be exempt from labeling, traceability and risk assessment requirements under existing GMO law. The group said this would reduce information available to consumers at a time when demand for organic and biodynamic products depends heavily on transparency about production methods.

The dispute reflects a broader divide inside European food policy. Supporters see gene editing as a practical tool for adapting agriculture to climate pressure while maintaining competitiveness. Critics argue that deregulation could strengthen industrial farming models, increase dependence on patented seeds and weaken biodiversity protections.

For wine producers and other beverage makers, much will now depend on how quickly research moves from laboratories into commercial fields and how consistently member states apply the new rules. The regulation creates a path for future use of gene-edited vines and other crops tied to drinks production, but it also leaves open political and market questions over labeling, consumer trust and cross-border differences within Europe.