On 3–4 March 2026, the Chairs of the ECPGR Working Groups gathered in Aranjuez, Spain, hosted by the Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. They met jointly with the ECPGR Executive Committee in preparation for the 18th ECPGR Steering Committee meeting, to be held in June 2026 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Working Groups form the backbone of ECPGR's structure, carrying out the majority of its work. Twenty are dedicated to specific crops, and four address general themes related to plant genetic resources; they have recently been joined by the newly established Genebank Managers Network.

Following the opening session, the Working Groups discussed key challenges and opportunities. On Tuesday afternoon, rapporteurs presented the groups' conclusions to the Executive Committee, followed by grouped reports organized by crop category –  fruit crops, vegetables, cereals, and others – and by thematic areas, covering documentation and information, cryopreservation, crop wild relatives, on-farm conservation, and the Genebank Managers Network. The day concluded with a general discussion and summary of the main points.

Wednesday was devoted to exchanges between the Chairs and the Executive Committee. In the morning, six topics proposed by the Chairs were presented and discussed; in the afternoon, three topics put forward by the Executive Committee were addressed. The meeting closed with presentations on several projects supported under the Grant Scheme.

For more information about the meeting and related documents, visit the dedicated page.