News
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,…
08/03/2023
GMOs
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…
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…
25/01/2023
Labelling
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…
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…
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…
Sustainability labels, ”sustainable or not? That’s the question!”
In the current food environment, labels are crucial to provide consumers with information to help them make the sustainable choice.…
Sustainability labelling for food: one day to understand all about it
The European Commission is expected to reveal their proposal for a Regulation on Substantiating Green Claims based on the Product…
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…
29/09/2022
Labelling
New position paper on sustainability labelling & the Planet-score
IFOAM Organics Europe published its new position paper on “Sustainability labelling & the Planet-score”. Political context This position paper comes…
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…
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…
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…
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
Labelling
Sustainability labelling & the PEF – Closed event in the European Parliament
Green Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Benoît Biteau, Claude Gruffat and Michèle Rivasi held an invitation-only event in 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…
Soil Health Law: Organic movement’s contribution to public consultation
60-70% of soils in the EU are not healthy and the EU still lacks a comprehensive soil protection policy. In…
16/03/2022
GMOs
No risk assessment and labelling for eggs and hens of genetically modified origin?
Following an EU Commission statement, it can be concluded that eggs and laying hens that originate from genetically engineered hens…
02/02/2022
GMOs
New GMOs: What’s next for Europe & state-of-play legislative process
As covered in previous editions of our newsletter, the European Commission has been moving forward with plans to create a…
Sustainability labelling: Product Environmental Footprint not suitable for agri-food products
Sustainability labelling has to be one of the major food-related political topics of 2022. As the think tank IDDRI outlines…
Trialogues on Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs to start
On 10 December, the Council of the EU approved its mandate for negotiations on the Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural…
Revised Directive for a Sustainable Use of pesticides expected on 23 March
The indicative calendar of the European Commission for the first half of 2022 mentions the launch of a “Nature restauration…
14/12/2021
GMOs
Commission event: Can New Genetic Engineering Techniques (NGETs) be sustainable?
The European Commission invited stakeholders, public officials, and politicians for a high-level event to discuss their plans to launch new…
Read our new leaflet on plant health care in organic farming
Have you ever heard of all the preventive plant protection measures implemented by organic farmers to produce food without using…
Welcome note October 2021 newsletter
Dear readers, Autumn has reached Europe, and unlike nature at this time of year, our work is not slowing down.…
12/10/2021
GMOs
Participate in Commission Public Consultation to keep (new) GMOs regulated and to protect organic
As covered in the last edition of the newsletter, the Commission is considering a new legal proposal for so-called “New…
Over 1 million signatures demanding a restoration of biodiversity & support for farmers
Across Europe, more than 1 million citizens are calling for a reduction of 80% in the use of synthetic pesticides…
28/09/2021
GMOs
Public consultation for new legal proposal upcoming
On 29 April 2021, the European Commission published a study on the status of New Genomic Techniques under Union law…
22/09/2021
Biodiversity
Sign ‘save bees and farmers’ before 30 September!
In case you have not signed the European Citizens’ Initiative to ‘Save bees and farmers’ yet, you can still do…
08/09/2021
GMOs
The debate about new GMOs in Europe: Our Policy Coordinator in conversation with Slow Food Europe
In their podcast series on European food and farming policies, Slow Food Europe brings together experts to discuss hot matters…
06/08/2021
Biodiversity
Only few days left to sign the European Citizens’ Initiative to save bees and farmers!
To those in our network who have not signed the European Citizens’ Initiative to ‘Save bees and farmers’ yet, you…
How can EU policies consider organic farming’s benefits for biodiversity?
IFOAM Organics Europe recently published a new report highlighting the contribution of organic farming to protecting Europe’s biodiversity. By setting…
Comics showing why industrial agriculture is broken
In May 2020, the EU released its Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies as part of the European Green Deal.…
21/06/2021
Biodiversity
CAP
Climate change
EU's agrifood vision
Events
Food policy
Organic regulations
Ten take-aways of the European Organic Congress 2021 - 16-18 June, online, live from Lisbon
Following a successful edition of the hybrid European Organic Congress 2021, we are happy to share the ten key take-aways…
Beekeepers and civil society concerned about pesticide risk assessment methodology
At the Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRIFISH) Council on 28-29 June, Member State representatives will vote on a crucial step for…
21/06/2021
Biodiversity
CAP
Climate change
EU's agrifood vision
Events
Food policy
Organic regulations
More than 660 discussed transitioning to more sustainable food & farming systems at European Organic Congress - 16-18 June, online, live from Lisbon
This year’s edition of our European Organic Congress took place online and live from Lisbon on 16-18 June 2021. More…