The ECNH evaluates licence applications or planned research of fundamental or exemplary significance, in accordance with the Gene Technology Act and the decree of appointment by the Federal Council. Its mandate is to analyse and evaluate the objectives and impacts of human handling of genetically modified organisms, and to advise the enforcement authorities and the government from an ethical standpoint, with a view to future legislation.

Genetically modified organisms were first released in Switzerland in 1991 and 1992 in an experiment by the Agroscope Changins research station. At that point the Gene Technology Act did not yet exist and the Environmental Protection Act lacked provisions on gene technology. 

The ECNH recommended rejecting a first application to release genetically modified maize in 1999, because it considered that possible economic advantages could not outweigh the social and ecological concerns:

In its Statement of May 2000, however, the ECNH expressly rejected legally prohibiting the release of genetically modified organisms, and was more in favour of a moratorium on commercial releases. It recommended a strict authorisation procedure for experimental releases:

One release experiment by the ETH Zurich using fungus-resistant wheat was considered very controversial. The majority of the Committee concluded in April 2001 that there was no ethical objections to performing the experiment, as long as particular conditions were fulfilled (in German):

The application was rejected by the responsible authority in the first instance, but sent back on appeal for re-evaluation. In this second procedure, the majority of the Committee judged the purpose and quality of the experiment to be inadequate and recommended rejecting the application ? insofar as the conditions laid down in the first Statement had not been fulfilled (in German):

In July 2007 the ECNH appraised three applications by the ETH and the University of Zurich for release experiments with genetically modified strains of cereals (in German):

Since the new Gene Technology Act came into force (01.01.2004) the revision of the Release Ordinance has been underway; this regulates the handling of genetically modified organisms in the environment. As an advisory committee, the ECNH is involved in this revision process, and has issued statements on several drafts as part of the hearings and the consultations within the administration.