There is a vote that could rewrite the rules governing what ends up on our plates, and most Europeans haven’t heard of it. On Wednesday, June 17, the European Parliament will vote in plenary on New Genomic Techniques (NGT), an acronym that has gradually replaced the more controversial term “GMOs” in public debate. The text on which MEPs will vote stems from an agreement between the Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament and was considered a formality for months. Today, it is no longer one.
The proposal stipulates that plants obtained through gene editing—using techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 that modify DNA in a targeted manner—may enter the European market without mandatory labeling, without traceability throughout the supply chain, and, in many cases, without a prior risk assessment. According to estimates by the European Commission itself, this threshold would apply to approximately 94% of NGT plants. As a result, nearly all products derived from these technologies could reach store shelves without consumers having any way of recognizing them.
The word that doesn’t appear on the label
It is a matter of the right to information. European legislation on GMOs, developed between the 1990s and the 2000s, provided for specific safeguards: mandatory labeling, traceability registers, and health and environmental assessments. With the NGTs, that framework would be dismantled, at least in part, in the name of reducing bureaucratic red tape and boosting the competitiveness of European agriculture.
“One thing is clear to us: people want to know what’s in their food. They’ve made that clear by joining the Blacked-Out Ingredients campaign. Eliminating GMO labeling isn’t just a bureaucratic simplification—it’s taking away citizens’ ability to choose what goes on their plates. If the Parliament removes the GMO labeling requirements, it will mark a historic and troubling turning point: for the first time, EU lawmakers would be reducing the information available to consumers rather than expanding it. This is an unprecedented step backward, paving the way for a gradual loss of transparency throughout the entire food supply chain. That is why a commitment from our Members of the European Parliament is so important. “European citizens will not give up. If they cannot find information on the packaging, they will have to find other ways, and we will stand by their side to help them,” said Anne Flohr of the Biodynamic Federation Demeter International (BFDI), one of the promoters of the European “Blacked-Out Ingredients” campaign.
More than 600,000 European citizens have signed petitions calling for the retention of mandatory labeling. More than 208,000 emails were sent directly to Members of the European Parliament through the campaign’s platform. These figures show that the issue is not one that the public is indifferent to, even though awareness remains limited given the scope of the decision.
Those Who Protest and Those Who Vote
On Tuesday, June 16, on the eve of the vote, a coalition of more than sixty organizations gathered in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Farmers, seed breeders, beekeepers, food processors, environmental organizations, and consumer groups: a broad-based mobilization bringing together worlds that are often far apart.
The concerns are diverse but converge. For the organic and biodynamic sectors, the lack of traceability would make it difficult to ensure that production remains truly free of NGT plants. For small-scale seed selectors, the central issue is patents: seeds produced using these technologies could be controlled by large multinational corporations in the sector, thereby limiting the autonomy of independent farmers.
An agreement that was no longer tenable
The compromise reached at the institutional level seemed set in stone. In recent weeks, however, pressure has mounted, and several parliamentary groups have announced that they may introduce amendments. If these amendments were approved, the text would return to the negotiating table and the entire legislative process would start over.
Tomorrow’s vote is a political decision that will have implications for labeling, patents, organic farming, and consumer rights. Whatever the outcome, the sixty organizations involved have already announced that they will continue to fight for transparency. The NGT issue will not be resolved by a single vote.
