{"id":337761,"date":"2025-08-12T06:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T06:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/337761\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T06:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T06:35:14","slug":"denmarks-eu-council-presidency-puts-prm-and-ngt-in-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/337761\/","title":{"rendered":"Denmark\u2019s EU Council Presidency Puts PRM and NGT in the Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 1, 2025, Denmark assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, part of a trio that includes the previous presidency Poland and subsequent Cyprus through mid-2026. Positioned under the banner \u201cA Strong Europe in a Changing World,\u201d Denmark inherits from Poland the mantle of an \u201chonest broker\u201d, responsible for shepherding complex files through trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament and Commission.<\/p>\n

Beyond headline themes like defence, trade, migration, climate, and competitiveness, two technical but pivotal seed-sector dossiers stand in sharp focus: Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) and New Genomic Techniques (NGT) regulations. Both are core to Europe\u2019s ambitions for agricultural innovation, resilience, and global competitiveness.<\/p>\n

Plant Reproductive Material (PRM): Carrying the Volt from Poland<\/strong><\/p>\n

PRM reform has progressed steadily under the Polish Presidency (January \u2013 June\u202f2025), earning praise for carving new space in the policy landscape. Euroseeds hailed the Polish Presidency\u2019s dedication, including progress reports and legislative groundwork that set the stage for Denmark\u2019s responsibility to see the file through.<\/p>\n

On June 23, 2025, Euroseeds formally thanked Poland, encouraging Denmark to \u201ccontinue this important work and bring the process to a successful conclusion\u201d, noting PRM as \u201ckey for innovation, competitiveness and quality in EU agriculture\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"Nils Elmegaard<\/p>\n

This call echoes comments from Garlich von\u202fEssen, Euroseeds\u2019 Secretary General: \u201cAs an industry that relies on legal clarity and innovation\u2011friendly regulation, we deeply appreciate\u00a0\u2026\u00a0the Polish Presidency\u00a0\u2026\u00a0We now look to the Danish Presidency to continue this important work and bring the process to a successful conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denmark enters its term with a clear mandate: finalise trilogue agreements, iron out technical layers (such as certification, category definitions, and harmonised marketing rules), and embed provisions that support seed innovation \u2014 especially for climate resilience, biodiversity, and plant health. <\/p>\n

Although the mandate is clear, it is obvious that the PRM file is rather comprehensive, so a conclusion on this file is not easy.<\/p>\n

New Genomic Techniques (NGT): Gene<\/strong>\u2011<\/strong>Editing in the Crosshairs<\/strong><\/p>\n

While PRM has advanced multiple stages into trilogue, the Regulation on NGTs \u2014 covering gene-editing and genomic innovations \u2014 remains more politically charged. Yet again, Euroseeds casts its hopes on Denmark to deliver results on this crucial file.<\/p>\n

On July 1, 2025, Euroseeds called on the Danish Presidency to \u201cmake the successful conclusion of negotiations on a new Regulation on New Genomic Techniques one of its top priorities\u201d, citing NGTs as \u201cindispensable tools\u201d for breeding innovation, and critical to maintaining Europe\u2019s global leadership in plant genetics.<\/p>\n

Though a final trilogue session originally planned for late June was cancelled, Euroseeds insists this is no sign of collapse. Instead, compromise remains within reach thanks to broad political recognition of NGTs\u2019 economic and environmental value.<\/p>\n

Von\u202fEssen adds: \u201cIt is well\u2011known that there are still some important points where agreement has not yet been reached\u00a0\u2026\u00a0there is a strong commitment to find the necessary compromises\u00a0\u2026\u00a0under the Danish presidency as soon as possible.\u201d The main obstacle to reach a compromise is the IP question on NGT\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Key unresolved issues include due diligence requirements for traceability and labelling, sustainability assessments, and the regulatory burden for research institutes and seed innovators. The EU must find middle ground between science-based flexibility and public oversight; Denmark is now tasked with brokering that accord.<\/p>\n

Why These Files Matter \u2013 The Bigger Picture<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agricultural competitiveness:<\/p>\n

Both PRM and NGT reforms signal clear intent to give EU farmers access to cutting-edge seed material. Faced with growing global competition and trade challenges, streamlined seeds regulations translate into increased yields, reduced costs, and diversified crop portfolio. NGT\u2019s are a must for the whole food value chain and is breaking new ground. For PRM, we already have legislation in place that has proven solid for decades. However, the proposed new PRM regulation could further improve how these systems function.<\/p>\n

Food supply security & resilience:<\/p>\n

In an era marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, geopolitical instability, climate stress, and supply chain turbulence, Europe needs strong domestic agriculture. Gene-edited crops and robust seed legislation are pivotal to achieving food self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

Green ambitions:<\/p>\n

Denmark\u2019s presidency also emphasises climate action \u2014 from a European 2040 climate target to low-emission energy transitions. Seed innovations via NGT and PRM directly support these ambitions, enabling precision breeding for drought tolerance, pest resistance, and lower input dependency.<\/p>\n

Challenges & Expectations Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

Denmark faces multifaceted pressure: trilogue logjams, public and NGO scrutiny on biotech, national divergence on traceability thresholds, and concerns around transparency. At the same time, momentum is strong \u2014 Member States, Parliament, and Commission increasingly align on innovation-friendly frameworks.<\/p>\n

Political skill will be essential as Denmark takes on the role of mediator \u2014 reconciling Parliament\u2019s demands (e.g. safeguards, transparency, labelling) with the Council push for minimal bureaucracy and scientific coherence. Rapid yet thoughtful compromise will define success.<\/p>\n

Outlook: A Presidency of Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Denmark can enhance its broader legacy \u2014 spanning defence alignment, trade liberalisation, climate ambition \u2014 by delivering on these technical but transformative seed dossiers. Finalisation of PRM and NGT regulations under its watch would mark a significant win for science-based policymaking in Brussels.<\/p>\n

With Euroseeds and agri-sector stakeholders firmly behind them, the Danish Presidency has both the mandate and momentum to act. As trilogue resumes this summer, expect both texts to reach provisional political agreement by year\u2019s end \u2014 or risk deferring critical seed innovation to the next Cyprus-led term.<\/p>\n

Final Word<\/strong><\/p>\n

Denmark\u2019s July\u2013December 2025 term presents a clear opportunity to fortify Europe\u2019s seed sector at the legislative level. By adopting decisive leadership on PRM and NGT files \u2014 not as niche technical fixes, but as pillars of agricultural competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability \u2014 the Danish Presidency can deliver tangible results that echo well beyond Brussels.<\/p>\n

The EU\u2019s farmers, breeders, and food systems are hopeful that this trio\u2019s baton now lands with a Presidency capable of turning legislative momentum into real-world harvests.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Nils Elmegaard is Secretary General at the Danish Seed Council<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On July 1, 2025, Denmark assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, part of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337762,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187,69288,46,29921],"class_list":{"0":"post-337761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european","11":"tag-featured-europe","12":"tag-policy","13":"tag-seed-world-europe"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115014410141412572","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}