The European Commission has proposed a targeted revision of the organic regulation, intended to support the competitiveness of the sector by reducing the regulatory burden and avoiding trade disruption. The Organic Processing and Trade Association (OPTA Europe) welcomes efforts to resolve implementation issues but regrets that it fails to provide meaningful improvements for the sector and constitutes a regression in terms of trade.
Resolved challenges and emerging ones
The Commission’s proposal delivers progress on several files of strategic importance for organic companies. OPTA Europe welcomes the changes regarding the updated eligibility criteria for groups of operators in the Union and in third countries, which will help ensure the continued participation of smallholder farmers in the EU organic market.
The removal of new obligations regarding products for cleaning and disinfection to be used in processing and storage facilities marks another positive development and a significant relief for organic processing companies.
Despite these important advances, OPTA Europe remains concerned about certain aspects of the proposal, such as the additional requirements that products from equivalent countries must satisfy to qualify for the EU logo, in response to a Court of Justice of the European Union’s interpretation of the organic regulation. The organization reaffirms its strong opposition to any departure from the principle of organic equivalence and the established practice of logo reciprocity.
“If moving away from equivalence of standards and logo reciprocity puts current agreements with our major export markets at risk or triggers retaliatory actions, it is hard to see how this proposal supports the declared goal of maintaining trade continuity and enhancing the sector’s competitiveness,” said Aurora Abad, secretary General of OPTA Europe.
OPTA Europe regrets that 11 existing equivalence agreements are extended for another 10 years, denying any opportunity to revise them in favour of better conditions for EU products
The ban on the EU logo extends to organic products manufactured in the EU when they contain more than 5% of ingredients sourced from equivalent third countries that do not meet the ‘additional’ requirements. For OPTA Europe, this introduces additional complexity for the many EU-based processing companies that rely on raw materials imported from equivalent countries.
OPTA Europe also regrets that 11 existing equivalence agreements are extended for another 10 years, denying any opportunity to revise them in favour of better conditions for EU products. “Rather than prolonging the current agreements for a decade while weakening their original intent, the Commission could uphold the equivalence principle and renegotiate each agreement to better serve the interests of EU producers and consumers”, continues Aurora Abad. “We had placed high expectations on the renegotiation of those agreements to remove trade barriers for EU exports, yet we are now being asked to wait for another ten years.”
What’s missing in the proposal
A concern for OPTA Europe is what the proposal actually doesn’t include. The most pressing issue for organic companies is to improve the functioning of the Single Market, undermined by the divergent implementation of the organic regulation in Member States. OPTA Europe also expresses regret that the proposal does not incorporate measures to promote innovative processing solutions that could help organic products reach new consumers.
While the Commission’s proposal for the Basic Act is silent on these important topics, OPTA Europe looks forward to reviewing the Roadmap, reportedly due to be published in the forthcoming days, which may provide guidance on how they could be addressed.
Looking to the future
OPTA Europe urges the co-legislators to take a pragmatic, forward-looking approach and to enhance the proposal to deliver improvements in the sector’s competitiveness.
- Further information available at www.opta-eu.org
Subscribe to Bio Eco Actual Newsletter and be up to date with the latest news from the Organic Sector
Bio Eco Actual, International Organic Newspaper
Read Bio Eco Actual
