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Maintaining GMO labelling: Businesses write urgent letter to MEPs
Discussions on the new regulation of new genetic engineering (NGT) are currently in full swing. On 3 December 2025, another so-called "trilogue" round between the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament (EP) and the EU Commission is to take place in Brussels, at which the current Danish Presidency is determined to reach an agreement.
Labelling issue is at risk to be sidelined
The issue of labelling is at risk to be completely sidelined, even though the European Parliament's position calls for full labelling requirements for all NGTs, right through to the final product. According to the EU Commission and the Council of Ministers, labelling should end at the seed stage for so-called "NGT-1".
That is why senior representatives of REWE, dm, Alnatura, dennree and Rapunzel are once again specifically addressing three MEPs from the European People's Party (EPP, which includes Germany's CDU and CSU), the largest group in the EP, during this critical phase of the consultations. Jessica Polfjärd from Sweden plays a key role as EP negotiator for NGT, Manfred Weber (CSU) is instrumental in positioning his group as its chairman, and Stefan Köhler (CSU) is familiar with the details as an expert in the matter.
Businesses remind MEPs of Parliament's position
The businesses are calling on the three politicians to only agree to a possible trilogue negotiation outcome "if it safeguards freedom of choice – with full labelling requirements, traceability and coexistence measures for NGT" – and remind Polfjärd, Weber and Köhler of the EP's agreed majority position: "Please represent the EP's position firmly and without reservation in the trilogue negotiations at EU level on the regulation of new genomic techniques (NGT)!"
During the EP votes on NGT in April 2024, EPP group chief Weber, of all people, deviated from his own group's line and voted against deregulation without mandatory labelling, thus fully supporting the businesses' position. They remind him of this in their letter and call on him to now bring his entire group on board with this course of action.
EPP should keep economic interests in mind
"The fact that REWE, dm, Alnatura, dennree and Rapunzel have jointly and publicly addressed their clear demands to the three key EPP MEPs is remarkable and clearly illustrates the urgency of the matter. The EPP in particular should keep economic interests in mind. Abolishing the labelling requirement for a large proportion of future genetically modified foods would harm the entire European food industry, not just 'Ohne Gentechnik' (Non-GMO) and organic products," comments Alexander Hissting, Managing Director of the Association Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG).
German government still without a position: Another abstention?
Meanwhile, with just one week to go before what may be the final round of trilogue talks in Brussels, the German federal government has still not reached a common position. This became clear yesterday during three special meetings of the German Parliament Bundestag committees for agriculture, the environment, and justice and consumer protection.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture is leaning towards approval, the Ministry of Justice apparently has no clear position, while the Ministry of the Environment continues to call for risk assessment, coexistence measures and labelling to be maintained for all types of NGT. This could mean that Germany will ultimately have to abstain once again in Brussels on the issue of new genetic engineering, even though the government of chancellor Merz actually wants to avoid this unpopular "German vote". An abstention would effectively be like a no vote. However, it is unclear whether this would be enough to prevent a majority vote in favour of NGT deregulation in the Council of Ministers.