Organic production rules – targeted amendment to Regulation 2018/848

Key points

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC):

• supports the Commission’s proposal for a precise and targeted revision of the EU organic framework legislation and considers the proposed amendments overall to be appropriate and necessary;
• emphasises that all elements of the proposal are important to achieve the desired outcome of a future-proof organic framework. Thus the targeted opening of the basic act, the proposed roadmap for further clarification and simplification in the area of secondary legislation and the update of the EU Organic Action Plan should be seen as a package and should go hand in hand;
• insists that any legislative changes must not lead to additional administrative burden for business operators but rather contribute to simplification while maintaining the integrity of the EU organic standard;
• recommends swift adoption of the Commission proposal to provide simplification and legal security for business operators and stakeholders in the field of organic production, labelling, certification and trade.