News
02/05/2023
Press release
Bio Eco Actual celebrates 10 years of organic, independent and free information
Sant Cugat del Vallès, May 2023 – Bio Eco Actual, the European publication specialised in organic food and cosmetics, is…
ECO-READY: Developing a European Observatory for short and long-term food and agriculture resilience strategies
The ECO-READY project aspires to identify climate-change drivers affecting food security and biodiversity across Europe. The comprehensive understanding of the EU…
The multiple benefits of organic for climate and biodiversity – visualised in our new infographic
The systemic approach of organic farming contributes to climate mitigation, supports the adaptation of farmers to the consequences of climate…
Political Hotspot March 2023
After a postponement in November 2022, on 22 March 2023 the European Commision’s proposal for a Directive on substantiation and…
22/03/2023
GMOs
EU environmental ministers give clear signal to Commission to maintain precautionary principle & risk assessment for NGTs
On 16 March, the Council meeting of environmental ministers sent a decisive message to the European Commission as a large…
Green claims: The fight against greenwashing must be based on methodologies promoting the transition towards more sustainable food systems
BRUSSELS, 22 MARCH 2023 – IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the publication of the Substantiating Green Claims initiative by the Commission,…
We want to be able to choose! Ensure GMO-free food production.
Update 23.03.2023: Junges Bioland initiated an online petition on this topic, addressed to Olaf Scholz, Germany’s Prime Minister, and to…
IFOAM Organics Europe & Diversified Communications partner to support organic market growth
BRUSSELS, 07 MARCH 2023 – We are excited to announce that IFOAM Organics Europe, the European umbrella organisation for organic…
Scientific study shows synthetic pesticides significantly more dangerous than natural ones
More organic farming means less pesticide use and risk BRUSSELS, VIENNA, 23 FEBRUARY 2023 – The European Green Deal’s targets of…
February 2023 Newsletter - Multilingual Edition
Read this Special Newsletter edition in CZ, DE, ES, FR, HU, IT, LT, NL, PL, PT, RO Welcome note Dear reader, Welcome to a very special edition of our newsletter. At…
13/02/2023
GMOs
European Court of Justice decision on ‘in vitro’ mutagenesis strengthens 2018 ruling subjecting gene editing to EU GMO Directive
The recent ruling by the European Court of Justice, published on 7 February, closes a 2015 case brought forward by…
EU organic movement warns against greenwashing
BRUSSELS, 13 FEBRUARY 2023 – IFOAM Organics Europe warns against the misuse of claims, labels, or communication initiatives about food…
Successful GMO petition handover to the Commission
On February 7, environmental, agricultural, and consumer rights organizations gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to officially…
06/02/2023
GMOs
New year, old narratives – Why genetic engineering is (still) not the solution to food security
The European Commission kicked off 2023 by publishing a report on the drivers of food security, recognising the value of…
EU organic movement takes legal action to defend reliable environmental labelling of food products
[disponible en français ci-dessous / available in French below] BRUSSELS/PARIS, 25 JANUARY 2023 – Actors involved in the ecological transition…
22/12/2022
Biodiversity
What the Global Biodiversity Framework means for agriculture
Two years later than initially planned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, world leaders adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).…
GMOs – An easy breakdown on common myths
Global grassroots organization Slow Food International has recently published a short myth-busting article with the most common, but wrong and…
All CAP Strategic Plans approved, just like Parliament’s report on long-term vision for rural areas
On 13 December, the European Commission approved the last national Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) Strategic Plan and the European Parliament…
November newsletter: SUR, GMO-free event, and more!
Two weeks ago, we published our November newsletter and it’s rich in updates and information on the hottest organic topics!…
Agreement on new deforestation law
EU consumption is responsible for around 10% of global deforestation. In the beginning of December, the Council and European Parliament…
Bold pesticide reduction plan faces attack on Saturday
BRUSSELS, 6 DECEMBER 2022 – EU plans to cut pesticide use and risk by half and protect the most sensitive…
Commission proposal on the certification of carbon removals leaves crucial questions unanswered
BRUSSELS, 30 NOVEMBER 2022 – The Commission’s proposal on the certification of carbon removals touches on important aspects like the…
Green claims: better methodologies to assess environmental performance of food & textiles products
BRUSSELS, 29 NOVEMBER 2022 – IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes news about the Commission’s decision to postpone the publication of the…
Welcome note November 2022
Dear reader, I am happy to welcome you to this year’s last edition of our newsletter. I am proud to…
1 million EU citizens knock on EU’s door: No synthetic pesticides to save bees & farmers
Over 1 million EU citizens are asking to restore nature, provide healthy food, healthy soil and clean water. On Friday 25…
GMO-free Europe Event held at the European Parliament to take a stand discuss the European Commission's new NGT legislative proposal
The European Commission announced a new legislative proposal for so-called ‘Novel Genomic Techniques’ in the second quarter of 2023. This…
10/11/2022
Textiles
NGOs demand adequate methodologies in upcoming legal proposal on green claims– also for apparel & footwear
The European Commission’s is working on an upcoming legislative proposal to help justify (‘substantiate’) green claims and prevent greenwashing. However,…
14/10/2022
GMOs
The scientists behind the GMO deregulation lobby – A story of vested interests
Many scientists currently active in agricultural biotechnology who lobby for deregulating so-called ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs) in the European Union…
14/10/2022
GMOs
Add your signature – Support these EU-wide petitions to stop attempts to deregulate new GMOs
The European Commission is working on a new legislative proposal for ‘New Genomic Techniques’ (NGTs). We expect this to be…
Save the Date: GMO-Free Europe Event 2022 - 17 November
We invite you to join us for a GMO-free Europe event at the European Parliament to discuss the European Commission’s…
27/09/2022
GMOs
Worrying step to deregulating GMOs: EU Agriculture Commissioner says “no controversy about direction” among EU Agricultural Ministers
The recent Informal meeting of the EU Ministers of Agriculture set a worrying tone for the political agenda regarding Genetically…
26/09/2022
CAP
CAP updates: Nine Strategic Plans approved, new derogations, feedback performance framework and future CAP network
Approval of CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plans: Where are we now? Nine CAP national Strategic Plans out of 27 have been…
Celebrating organic practices throughout the supply chain - Winners of the EU Organic Awards
BRUSSELS, 23 SEPTEMBER 2022 – Today, on EU Organic Day, representatives of a pan-European collaboration handed out the first EU…
14/09/2022
Biodiversity
European Parliament adopts position on deforestation-free products
The European Parliament has voted on its position on the Commission proposal for a regulation on deforestation-free products. On 13…
25/08/2022
Textiles
New position paper on organic textiles in a context of strong political momentum
IFOAM Organics Europe published its revised position paper Organic textiles – Protecting the credibility of the organic label. The publication…
18/08/2022
CAP
CAP updates: Status Strategic Plans, new derogations, feedback performance framework and future CAP network
Approval of CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plans: Where are we now? During the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council configuration (AGRIFISH) meeting…
EU Organic Awards - Get to know the finalists
BRUSSELS, 20 JULY 2022 – Today, the finalists for the first annual EU organic awards have been announced. 24 are…
June newsletter: measuring pesticides, new GMOs, and more!
We just published our June newsletter and it’s rich in updates and information on the hottest organic topics! Not sure…
Welcome note June 2022 Newsletter
Dear readers, Summer has arrived all over Europe and harvesting season is upon us. Summer mood is not slowing down…
Political hotspot June 2022 Newsletter
On 22 June, the European Commission published two important legislative proposals related to the implementation of the Farm to Fork…
27/06/2022
GMOs
Public consultation on new genomic techniques still ongoing + Member briefing
The 12-weeks consultation period of the European Commission in the context of the Impact Assessment for new legislation for ‘New…
24/06/2022
Textiles
The importance of an organic label for textiles
What is the issue with textiles?The organic textile market is rapidly growing and the textile industry may be victim of…
European organic movement stands in solidarity with Ukrainian organic farmers at European Organic Congress
BORDEAUX, FRANCE, 16 JUNE 2022 – Today, ahead of the start of the European Organic Congress 2022, the Ukrainian organic…
13/06/2022
CAP
Update on CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plans, Common Market Organisation & long-term vision for rural areas
Where are we at with the CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plans and reform process? What do we do on the Common…
Environmental NGOs and organic movement call on Commission to develop a new indicator to measure progress towards the Farm to Fork pesticide reduction target
BRUSSELS, 9 JUNE 2022 – The organisers of the European Citizens’ Initiative Save Bees and Farmers (signed by 1.2 million…
Member States should enhance support for organic farming in CAP Strategic Plans in line with Commission's observations
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 7 JUNE 2022 – Over the past days, the organic food and farming movement sent letters to national…
Welcome note May 2022 Newsletter
Dear readers, I would like to thank you for the enthusiasm and the support you have given IFOAM Organics Europe…
19/05/2022
CAP
Political hotspot May 2022 Newsletter
As of 17 May 2022, the European Commission sent 24 observation letters to Member States on their CAP Strategic Plans,…
16/05/2022
Textiles
EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles: Shortcomings and promises
On 30 March, the European Commission published its strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. This strategy is part of the…
03/05/2022
GMOs
Commission opens public consultation on new legislation for new genetic engineering techniques
The EU Commission launched a 12-weeks consultation period in the context of the Impact Assessment for new legislation for ‘New…