ACTION PLAN OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Dabović Dušan (Министарство пољопривреде, шумарства и водопривреде, Београд), dusan.dabovic@minpolj.gov.rs.

By the Action plan, the Commission set out its general guidelines on organic farming. It is beneficial for the whole community and especially for the environment. The Commission believes that the development of organic farming must be based firstly on the interplay of supply and demand. The emphasis must therefore be placed on the expectations of consumers, who need to be better informed about the principles, objectives and benefits of organic farming. The Commission proposes launching an information and promotion campaign throughout the European Union to promote the Community logo. It also plans to set up an on-line database to allow comparison of Community standards with national and international standards, and to improve the collection of statistical data. The Commission urges Member States to make full use of all the Community instruments and measures, such as national and regional action plans, available within their rural development programmes. It also plans to develop a specific accreditation system for inspection bodies and publish an annual report from the Member States on their supervision. In addition, it proposes prohibiting the labeling of products containing GMOs as organic. Also, the Commission proposes asking the Council for a negotiating mandate to reinforce recognition by third countries of EU organic farming standards and inspection systems. The Commission proposes capacity-building in developing countries and facilitating trade in organic products from those countries, and it plans to establish new import arrangements under Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. Also, the Commission aims to preserve the integrity of organic farming by making Community rules more transparent and increasing harmonization so as to reduce obstacles to trade caused by the existence of too many different standards. For the same reason, the Commission proposes developing a multilateral concept of equivalency based on the Codex Alimentarius standards. Significance of the Action plan for the Republic of Serbia is reflected in the National Action Plan for Organic Production, as well as in the Action Plan for Organic Agriculture of Town Novi Sad.

Keywords: Organic agriculture, food, agriculture, EU, sustained development, strategy