Plant genome editing in the European Union—to be or not to be—a GMO

New plant-breeding techniques have been boosting plant breeding, since only a few years but already first promising products are pushing to the market. In contrast to this, in many countries, the current Directives regulating genetically modified organisms have been established more than 25 years ago, especially in the European Union being based on clear differentiation between transgenic plants and conventional breeding. Therefore, the question arises if these Directives are suitable to face the new challenge of genetic engineering or if there is a need for updated regulations.