Council adopts rules to strengthen forest reproductive material and support EU seed sector 10:35 Council adopts new rules to improve the quality, availability and traceability[...]

The Council today adopted new rules to improve the quality, availability and traceability of forest reproductive material (FRM), while supporting innovation and competitiveness in the EU seed sector.

The regulation will strengthen the resilience of Europe's forests to climate change, pests and diseases. It will support biodiversity, sustainable forest management and the conservation of genetic resources. Forest reproductive material, such as seeds and plants, is essential for forest regeneration, including reforestation and afforestation across the EU.

Key rules ensure that only approved and certified seeds and plants are placed on the market, helping to guarantee their quality and sustainability for planting. They also strengthen traceability, making it possible to track seeds and seedlings across the EU.

At the same time, the regulation promotes more resilient forests by encouraging the use of planting material resilient to climate change and resistant to pests. It also introduces a simpler and more harmonised system of controls, making the rules easier to apply across members states.

Next steps

The regulation still needs to be formally voted by the European Parliament. The date of application of the regulation has been set to five years, to provide time for the necessary adaptation of over 25 years of established national practice and to implement the new control system.

• Council and Parliament reach provisional deal to boost the quality of forest reproductive material and support EU seed sector innovation (press release, 8 December 2025)
• FRM regulation
• Position of the Council at first reading