► AFBV, FGV, GfPB und WGG: Offener Brief an die Mitglieder desAusschusses für Umweltfragen, Klimawandel und Lebensmittelsicherheit (ENVI) des Europäischen Parlaments zum Kompromissvorschlag für die Verordnung über neue genomische Techniken (NGT)

► AFBV, FGV, GfPB and WGG: Open Letter to Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) Regarding the compromise proposal for the Regulation of New Genomic Techniques (NGT)

► AFBV, FGV, GfPB et WGG : Lettre ouverte aux membres du Parlement européen Commission de l' Environnement, du Climat et de la Sécurité Alimentaire (ENVI) Concernant la réglementation des nouvelles techniques génomiques (NTG)

 Meetings – Conferences / Treffen - Veranstaltungen

Science Slam in Dresden im Mai 2026

Datum: 21.05.2026, Beginn: 20:00 Uhr, Einlass: 19:30 Uhr

https://www.scienceslam.de/termine/science-slam-in-dresden-im-mai-2026/

Künstliche Intelligenz trifft synthetische Biologie: Kontrollierbare Chancen oder unbeherrschbare Risiken?

28. Leopoldina Lecture in Herrenhausen, 09. Juni 2026 - 18:00 - 20:00

https://www.leopoldina.org/ergebnisse-und-termine/veranstaltungen/detail/kuenstliche-intelligenz-trifft-synthetische-biologie-kontrollierbare-chancen-oder-unbeherrschbare-risiken

Stakeholder Dialog: Wie weiter mit der modernen Pflanzenzucht?

Dienstag, den 23. Juni, von 12:30 bis 14:30 Uhr

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=UgDKnAL4k0itQTkwtBgiiZMJc-lL5qBHpb3Y44_XB-VUQTZZU0NSTDhWRjY1VkJJN1BQUkEwWlpVSSQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

FONA-FORUM 2026: Wissen.Wohlstand.Wandel – Forschung mit Impact

Berlin, 24.-25.06.2026

https://info.fona.de/-viewonline2/27178/452/3376/n0LEOV6y/93mO9lmsM3/1

Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte

Non-GMO Summit: Österreich pocht auf Transparenz bei neuer EU-Gentechnik-Regelung

https://oekonews.at/non-gmo-summit-oesterreich-pocht-auf-transparenz-bei-neuer-eu-gentechnik-regelung+2400+1234804

Entscheidung im Juni zu Neuer Gentechnik

https://salto.bz/de/article/14052026/entscheidung-im-juni-zu-neuer-gentechnik

Raiffeisen: Deregulierung der Neuen Züchtungstechniken - Schneller, besser und billiger

https://www.raiffeisen.com/news/artikel/schneller-besser-und-billiger-31653373

Gene editing (not to be confused with GMO): cheaper, more nutritious, less perishable foo

https://www.todayville.com/gene-editing-not-to-be-confused-with-gmo-cheaper-more-nutritious-less-perishable-food/

Greens and Left seek to block deal on new genomic techniques

https://www.endseurope.com/article/1957770/greens-left-seek-block-deal-new-genomic-techniques

Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and

media reports are ►here: May - week-20/2026 

Publications – Publikationen

PURNHAGEN, K., Bartsch D., Eckermann K., Hubar-Kołodziejczyk A., Lämke J., Pallarz S., Wesseler J. (2026): Detection,

identification and quantification of NGTs in EU authorization procedures – No solution without legislative change    [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

For the purposes of GMO authorisation, applicants are required to submit validated methods for the detection, identification and quantification (DIQ). For classical transgenic organisms, this requirement has proven workable. For products derived from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), specifically those introducing small insertions and deletions (InDels) without foreign genetic material, it has not. NGT-induced genomic changes are frequently indistinguishable from naturally occurring mutations, making identification legally required but technically unachievable with currently available analytical tools. This open letter examines whether recently proposed DIQ methodologies, including genomic fingerprinting approaches based on single nucleotide variant (SNV) profiling, can bridge this gap. We find that while such approaches advance detection capabilities, they fall short of the identification and quantification standards demanded by EU law, for reasons such as the absence of universal pangenome datasets, the complexity of polyploid crop genomes, the loss of fingerprint integrity through elite line crossing, and the dependence of recombination rates on multiple species-specific factors. The mismatch between legal requirements and scientific feasibility has consequences for authorisation procedures, supply chain compliance, organic farming integrity, and international trade. We conclude that no purely technical solution is forthcoming and that legislative change is necessary. Aligning the EU’s evidentiary standards with technical reality is a precondition for a functional and enforceable GMO authorisation system.

https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/6-168

Jiang X.-Q., Cao Y., Wang X.-P., Chang L.L. et al.:(2026):  Continued overexpression of EPSPS transgene enhances fitness in

multigeneration crop–wild rice hybrids and its long-term environmental impact .Front. Plant Sci., 09 March 2026Sec. Plant Systematics and Evolution Volume 17 - 2026 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1707859

Transgene flow from genetically engineered (GE) crops to their wild relatives has aroused worldwide biosafety concerns. Environmental impact caused by transgene flow from GE glyphosate herbicide-tolerant rice overexpressing the endogenous EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) transgene to its wild relatives has become a great concern. This is due to the significantly increased fitness conferred by the transgene in crop–wild hybrids. Whether the increased fitness is maintained consistently in the advanced generations of the hybrid progenies is unclear and needs science-based evaluation. Such evaluation plays an essential role in understanding the potential environmental impact caused, particularly by the EPSPS transgene. We therefore examined the relative expression quantities (REQs) of the EPSPS (trans)gene and fitness-related traits in advanced F₃–F₅ hybrid lineages derived from crosses between GE EPSPS rice (Oryza sativa) and two wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) populations in common garden experiments. Our results showed that the crop–wild rice hybrid lineages containing the transgene have significantly higher REQs of the EPSPS (trans)gene and increased values of the fitness-related traits, including the number of tillers, panicles, and seeds per plant. In addition, the fitness benefit, conferred by overexpressing the EPSPS transgene, presented consistently in GE F₃–F₅ hybrid lineages. Consequently, the overexpression of the rice endogenous EPSPS transgene may consistently increase the fitness of crop–wild rice hybrid progenies in advanced generations, which may promote the persistence and spread of the transgene in wild rice populations. Thus, assessing the long-term environmental impact caused by the outflow of the glyphosate-tolerant EPSPS transgene from GE rice should be seriously considered.

https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15/10/1476

Sun M., Ghouiri F., Waqas M., Ali M. et al. (2026): Applications of Gene-Editing Technologies in Enhancing Crop Stress

Resistance with Emphasis on Rice. Plants 15 (10), 1476 | https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15101476

Gene-editing technology provides innovative strategies for coping with crop stress, enhancing resistance to biotic stresses (fungal, bacterial, viral infections) and abiotic stresses (salinity, drought, heavy metals, temperature extremes). The CRISPR/Cas9 system is widely used to knock out susceptibility genes, activate resistance genes, or modulate stress-response genes, yielding many stress-resistant crop varieties. However, off-target effects, chimeric effects, and the complexity of multi-gene synergistic editing limit its application. By optimizing and integrating with other cutting-edge technologies, gene editing is expected to yield highly stress-resistant and high-yielding crop varieties, contributing significantly to sustainable agricultural development and ensuring global food security. Rice, a key staple and model plant, has been extensively studied in gene-editing-based research on stress resistance. The practical potential of gene editing for agricultural improvement has been demonstrated by the effective modification of many genes linked to drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and disease resistance using CRISPR/Cas9 and related technologies. This review discusses gene-editing applications in crop stress research, examining the effects of various stresses on crops and the use of gene editing to develop stress-tolerant varieties. It offers substantial guidance for improving crop stress tolerance through gene editing, creating highly resilient cultivars with greater adaptation to complex, variable environments.

https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15/10/1476

TShoji T., Fukushima A., Morinaka H., Takagi H. et al. 2026 Multi-omics dissection of steviol glycoside synthesis reveals

haplotype-linked specialization of UGT76G genes in Stevia rebaudiana. New Phytologist | https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71191Digital Object Identifier DOI)

Steviol glycosides (SGs), intensely sweet diterpenoids found in Stevia rebaudiana (stevia), exhibit natural variation in composition that influences taste quality and commercial value. However, the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying this variation remain poorly understood. We aimed to uncover how haplotype-level diversity and cell-type-specific gene expression contribute to SG profile diversity in stevia.

We generated a chromosome-scale reference genome and conducted integrative multi-omics analyses combining haplotype-resolved population genomics, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and imaging mass spectrometry. These approaches were applied to a diverse panel of breeding lines and a segregating population to associate genetic variants with SG composition and expression patterns.

We identified a physically linked cluster of UGT76G glycosyltransferase genes whose structural and regulatory polymorphisms drive major differences in SG composition. Restricted expression of UGT91D4 to specific subsets of mesophyll and epidermal cells further constrained the biosynthesis of high-value SGs, such as rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M. Functional divergence among UGT76G paralogs was supported by sequence, expression, and structural modeling data.

 Our findings define a multi-allelic and spatially coordinated regulatory architecture underlying SG biosynthesis in stevia. These insights provide a foundation for haplotype-guided breeding and metabolic engineering strategies aimed at improving stevia sweetness quality and yield.

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.71191

EFSA

GMO Panel (2026). Assessment of genetically modified soybean MON 87769 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC)

No 1829/2003 (dossier GMFF-2023-21253). EFSA Journal, 24(1), e9845. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.9845

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.9845 updated

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme arabinan endo-1,5-α-l-arabinanase from the non-genetically modified

Aspergillus tubingensis strain GPA41. EFSA Journal, 24(5), e10079. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10079

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10079

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the genetically modified

Bacillus licheniformis strain NZYM-FX. EFSA Journal, 24(5), e10092. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10092

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10092

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the genetically modified Bacillus licheniformis

strain NZYM-FX. EFSA Journal, 24(5), e10091. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10091

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10091

FEZ Panel ( (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme containing aspergillopepsin I and carboxypeptidase C activities from the

non-genetically modified Aspergillus sp. strain ACP 112–311. EFSA Journal, 24(5), e10083 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10083

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10083