The list of finalists for the first ever annual EU organic awards has been announced, with a total of 24 entries from 11 different Member States shortlisted for awards. The finalists were chosen from a pool of over 200 submissions from 26 Member States that were submitted in recent months. The winners of the eight awards will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on 23 September, as one of a range of events and activities to mark the annual EU organic day.
Whatever happens, it will be a success: the three finalists for the prize are all members of the International Network of Bio-Districts – IN.N.E.R. They all follow the IN.N.E.R. guidelines, based on the biodistrict model developed 18 years ago (in 2004) in the Cilento region and successfully spread all over the world.
The awards were launched as part of a commitment made in the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production with the objective of recognising excellence all along in the organic food chain, from farmer to restaurant. They will seek to reward the best and most innovative organic actors who contribute to reducing agriculture’s impact on the climate and environment, and whose actions will help realise the ambitions of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.
The awards are jointly organised by the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe. The jury for the awards consists of representatives from these organisations, as well as representatives from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
Entries were invited from any actor or institution along the organic value chain with an excellent, innovative, sustainable and replicable project contributing to greater accessibility and affordability of organic products in the EU. The jury selects the winners in each category by judging their projects against the horizontal award criteria.
Source: IN.N.E.R. / EU Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development
