The annual European Organic Congress titled “Organic’s contribution to the European Green Deal” will take place online, live from Lisbon from 16-18 June 2021, organised by IFOAM Organics Europe and their Portuguese parter, AGROBIO.
- You can register now for free here
The 2021’s Congress will bring together organic stakeholders from across Europe to talk about policy developments in organic food and farming. The event will cover the alignment of CAP Strategic Plans with the EU Green Deal, expected changes in the new EU Organic Regulation, organic’s contribution to climate change mitigation, sustainable food systems and rural development.
This edition of the Congress is free of charge and seats are limited. Professionals can now register on the congress website and reserve their virtual seat.
European Organic Congress 2021: Check the program
Six sessions scheduled for 16, 17 and 18 June from 10am to 15.30pm will provide attendants with the opportunity to interact with and benefit from the knowledge and expertise of high-level speakers and moderators on policy developments in organic.
Speakers include Eduardo Cuoco, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe; Jan Plagge, President of IFOAM Organics Europe; Marian Blom from IFOAM Organics Europe/Bionext; Janusz Wojciechowski, Comissioner for Agriculture de la Comisión Eurioea; Christian Holzteiner, Head of Unit for Land Use and Finance for Innovation at the Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Commission; and Dora Drexler, Doctor, Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi).
The organization has already provided more information about the program, which is as follows.
Day 1: 16 June
Congress opening session with Célia Nyssens, Policy Officer for Agriculture at the European Environmental Bureau, will assess how to align the CAP Strategic Plans with the EU Green Deal. The session will discuss to what extent national ambitions are in line with the EU Green Deal objectives, in particular the target to reach 25% organic land by 2030. The current situation of Organic Farming in Portugal will be discussed after a lunch break, linking organic farming to health and biodiversity.
Day 2: 17 June
The second day will start with a panel debate on climate mitigation and sequestration in agriculture. Thomas Legge, Director of Land Use & Agriculture Programmes at the European Climate Foundation, will join the discussion on whether “climate neutrality” is a realistic and desirable goal for the agriculture sector, considering the current focus on efficiency and the potential trade-offs with biodiversity objectives.
While the need to transition towards more sustainable food systems is largely recognized, the consensus on how to achieve this has not yet been reached. Initiatives such as the Organic Action Plan, Green Public Procurement and other related initiatives will be at the core of the afternoon session on 17 June.
This edition of the Congress is free of charge and seats are limited
Day 3: 18 June
The last day will hold ‘The new EU Organic Regulation & Rural development‘ session, which focuses on the main challenges for organic operators in maintaining compliance with the EU rules. Whether and how the expected changes could impact reaching the Farm to Fork target of 25% EU organic land by 2030? This question will lead the conference on 18 June.
The future development and attractiveness of rural areas will largely depend on improving the climate and environmental performance of farming. This year’s congress will end with a session on exploring how initiatives can contribute to the development of rural areas and the success of the Organic Action Plan. Organic districts, living labs and farm demonstrations will have a prominent role.
The Congress will have a close statement by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski.
- Register here for free
- Further information available on europeanorganiccongress.bio
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