Brussels, Belgium
9th of September 2025
The European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) welcomes the vote on the 8th of September of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI), which has adopted an amendment introducing a definition of hemp that explicitly includes flowers as licit agricultural products in the EU provided that the variety used is registered in the EU catalogue and respects THC limits.
This important vote aligns with the European Commission’s proposal published in July 2025, which for the first time authorises the production and marketing of all parts of the hemp plant.
The text adopted by COMAGRI will now form the basis of negotiations with the Council of the EU and the European Commission. If all three institutions agree on this “whole plant” approach, the principle will be enshrined in the Regulation for the Common Market Organisation (CMO) - the legislative framework that governs the internal EU market for agricultural products.
This vote also marks a political leap by the Parliament. The Commission’s original legislative proposal, published in December 2024, had a much narrower scope and did not address the question of hemp. By including this amendment now, Parliament chose to anticipate the discussion on the broader July 2025 proposal and push forward a clearer and bolder stance on the hemp sector.
“This is a strategic step forward for the hemp sector,” said Francesco Mirizzi, Managing Director of EIHA. “By stepping ahead of the Commission’s timeline, the Parliament shows leadership in responding to farmers' needs and aligning EU rules with market realities. Too many companies have suffered from unjust and often shifting national rules banning the use of flowers, putting their businesses at risk. This must come to an end.”
The next step is the plenary vote in the European Parliament, expected for the next month, followed by trilogue negotiations between the Parliament, Council and Commission. EIHA anticipates a difficult debate within the Council, where EU Member States will finally be confronted with the need to clarify their position on the full legalisation of the hemp plant. If the outcome of the interinstitutional discussions is favourable, the new rules could apply as early as next summer, depending on the timeline of the adoption.
As the legislative files move forward, EIHA will continue working with national governments and ministers to ensure that scientific evidence, market potential, and the needs of European farmers are fully taken into account.
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