Environmental organization Greenpeace is calling on the Greek government to oppose proposed European Union legislation that would allow the cultivation and sale of foods produced using so-called new genomic techniques (NGTs), warning of risks to food safety, the environment, and the rights of consumers and farmers.
“New genetically modified plants, same risks: Greece must say ‘no’ to the new legislation,” Greenpeace said in a statement this week, describing the proposed EU framework as “controversial”.
The group argued that the legislation seeks to “reopen a door that has been closed for years”, potentially allowing genetically modified plants to reach consumers’ plates without clear labeling or public awareness.
On December 4, 2025, EU institutions reached a provisional political agreement on new rules governing plants developed through NGTs.
Under the agreement, certain categories of NGT plants would be regulated separately from conventional genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with less stringent safety and approval requirements.
Greenpeace Greece has urged Rural Development and Food Minister Kostas Tsiaras to take a firm stance against the regulation, calling on the government to act “in favor of consumers, farmers, and the environment and against new GMOs”.
“If adopted, this would make the current administration the first Greek government to support GMOs, following years of a consistent opposing position,” the organization warned.
According to Greenpeace, NGT-derived products are in effect “second-generation genetically modified organisms”. The group said the proposed legislation would exempt many new crops from existing safety rules, “disregarding scientific warnings and undermining the rights of farmers and consumers”.
Greece has historically played a leading role at the European level in opposing genetically modified crops, contributing to a five-year moratorium, and enforcing a national ban on the cultivation of genetically modified plants.
