The European Commission again this year launches (second edition), together with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe, the competition to recognise and reward excellence in the organic supply chain. The awards are aimed at organic operators or institutions that have distinguished themselves by their degree of innovation, their contribution to reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and climate, and their ability to contribute to the EU's biodiversity and sustainable development objectives.
As last year, the EU organic awards are comprised of 8 awards across 7 different categories:
- Category 1: Best organic farmer (female) and Best organic farmer (male)
- Category 2: Best organic region
- Category 3: Best organic city
- Category 4: Best organic bio-district
- Category 5: Best organic food processing SME
- Category 6: Best organic food retailer
- Category 7: Best organic restaurant / food service
Applications can be submitted by any operator or institution with an innovative project that meets the principles of organic farming, contributes to the achievement of the objectives set by the European Commission and increases the knowledge and accessibility of organic products in the EU.
Applications open on 25 March 2023 and close on 14 May 2023, and must be in one of the official languages of the EU. Applicants must be natural or legal persons established or resident in one of the 27 EU Member States and the project must be active in these countries, clearly referring to one of the above indicated categories. Furthermore, the same project cannot be submitted for more than one category and each applicant may only apply for one award. Finally, and importantly, the project should have already been fully initiated or should be at a stage of progress that demonstrates the achievement of its objectives.
Further information HERE
Source: European Commission