IFOAM EU is constantly monitoring the evolution of organic farming, based on documents published at European level. INTER-BIO Association, as a member of IFOAM EU, stay informed, debates together with its members and supports all European efforts aimed at the development of the organic sector.
Recently, the European Commission made public the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2024, which is called the Next Generation EU. Through this document, the EU allocates € 750 billion in funding for the organic sector and the development of a stronger and more digital Europe. 15 billion euros will be allocated in the form of aid to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, in order to help with the development of these areas in the context of the pandemic.
Two other very important European Commission documents on organic farming are: the Biodiversity Strategy and the Farm to Fork Strategy. Both documents are aligned with the Green Deal and contain a plan of actions and commitments to prevent biodiversity loss in Europe and around the world and to turn the food systems into a global standard for competitive sustainability, protection of human and planetary health, and the means of living of all actors in the food value chain. All these actions proposed at European level reinforce the idea that a functioning food system can reduce the vulnerability of Member States to disasters such as Covid 19.
“INTER-BIO Association is convinced that the efforts at European level to grow the organic farming system and transform the food system into a safer one, will have long-term beneficial effects, both for the environment and for the economic recovery from the pandemic. The future belongs to the certification systems, which are based on organic farming as they are the best regulated and with a proven impact on human health. Starting from organic certification, which is constantly evolving and improving, the most sustainable agricultural practices will be developed. They will target not only organic food but also clothing, cosmetics, furniture and other consumer goods that we come in contact with, ”said Assoc. Dr. Costin Lianu, President of Inter-Bio.