The Commission has granted today more than €380 million to 133 new projects across Europe under the LIFE Programme for environment and climate action. The allocated amount represents more than half of the €574 million total investment needs for these projects - the remainder coming from national, regional and local governments, public-private partnerships, businesses, and civil society organisations.
After experiencing severe shocks and high volatility in the previous years, EU agricultural markets are showing positive signs of stabilising as input costs have steadily declined over the past months and food inflation has returned to a moderate rate. The general macroeconomic and food price environment points to possible improvements in demand for agri-food products in most sectors. Nonetheless, the outlook remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty, linked to weather events, geopolitical conflicts and animal and plant diseases.
This year’s winners follow the high standards set by their predecessors and showcase sustainable and inspiring projects across the European organic value chain. The winning projects – and the people behind them- demonstrate how organic agriculture and production can create innovative value chains and generate new job opportunities in rural areas.
The winners of the edition 2024 of the EU Organic Awards are:
The European Commission has launched an interactive tool offering clear and comprehensible information on sustainability in agriculture. The Agri Sustainability Compass brings together 20 key indicators for the three dimensions of sustainability in agriculture and rural areas. This helps users quickly grasp the current state of agriculture’s sustainability and its evolution over time.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has launched the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, a new forum mandated to shape a shared vision for the future of the EU's farming and food system.
Today, the Commission adopted a package of measures for a sustainable use of key natural resources, which will also strengthen the resilience of EU food systems and farming.
On 02.02.2023 the Commission adopted new rules which will, once applicable, lower the Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs) of two pesticides in food. Assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have shown that the two chemicals, belonging to the group of neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, pose a high risk to bees and contribute to the global decline of pollinators. For this reason, their outdoor use has already been banned in the EU in 2018.
On 24th January, the Commission presented 'A New Deal for Pollinators' to tackle the alarming decline in wild pollinating insects in Europe, revising the 2018 EU Pollinators Initiative.
The share of EU agricultural land under organic farming increased by more than 50% over the period 2012-2020, with an annual increase of 5.7%. In 2020, 9.1% of the EU’s agricultural area was farmed organically, reported the European Commission. On average, though with substantial variation across Member States, organic farms are bigger than conventional farms and run by younger farm managers.