On 25-26 May the “jumbo” trilogues took place during which negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council were expected to seal the deal on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. However, after four days of unconducive discussions, negotiations broke down on 28 May.

Future national CAP strategic plans are now being discussed at national level. In France, FNAB, the French organic farming organisation and IFOAM Organics Europe member, left the Superior Orientation Council (CSO) chaired by the Minister of Agriculture on 21 May 2021.

Two new Delegated Regulations of the New EU Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 was published in the EU Official Journal. Considering these two new regulations, the number of secondary acts published so far rises to 10 out of 23 expected by the end of the year.

On 26 May 2021, European retailers took a strong stand against deregulating new GMOs in a joint resolution. One of the demands in the resolution is to uphold the 2018 European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling stating that all products stemming from the new genetic engineering methods, such as CRISPR/Cas, TALENs and others, must be classified as GMOs, in the same manner as previous GMOs.

At the Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRIFISH) Council on 28-29 June, Member State representatives will vote on a crucial step for the future risk assessment of pesticides and their impact on pollinators, namely setting a so-called Specific Protection Goal (SPG) for honeybees.

Each and every animal, microorganism and plant species has a vital role to play in preserving the general health of our planet and the ecosystem that keeps it alive. From the earth worm to the rain forests, such biodiversity, is important in ensuring food variety, strengthening resilience and maintaining ecosystem balance.

The European Commission is seeking stakeholders’ views on the EU strategy for sustainable textiles. Feedback regarding this topic can be provided on the EU Commission’s ‘Have your say’ website by 4 August 2021.

TP Organics is part of the strategic working group of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research on Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (SCAR-AKIS). It participated in the two-day online meeting of the 6th SCAR-AKIS meeting of the 5th mandate on digitalisation in the CAP Strategic Plans and the development process of the candidate partnerships on agroecology and food systems.

This year’s Organic Innovation Days, TP Organics’ annual event, will take place online on 30 November-1 December. Titled ‘Better inputs for organic farming’, the Organic Innovation Days are a unique opportunity to meet members of TP Organics, network with EU stakeholders and decision-makers, as well as discuss and exchange with the partners of the European research projects RELACS and Organic-PLUS.

On 13-14 September, IFOAM – Organics International’s General Assembly will take place, during which it will choose a new World Board. Although there are several good candidates from or living in European countries, the EU Board recommends voting for Sarah Compson, Marco Schlüter and Paul Holmbeck as World Board members during the next IFOAM Organics International General Assembly.

The contributions of sponsors allow IFOAM Organics Europe to focus on its most important work – representing organic stakeholders. This funding is a means to co-finance IFOAM Organics Europe events, projects and publications and is a highly valued contribution to our work.

Are you interested in getting visibility in IFOAM Organics Europe’s communication? Contact supportus@organicseurope.bio.