The Copenhagen Declaration - Conference

The Copenhagen Declaration
The European Conference Organic Food and Farming Towards Partnership and Action in Europe
10 - 11 May 2001, Copenhagen, Denmark

Organic.dk Front page

Declaration from the European Conference

Organic Food and Farming - Towards Partnership and Action in Europe

In signing this declaration from the European conference "Organic Food and Farming - Towards Partnership and Action in Europe", 10th to 11th of May 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark we wish to highlight that:

Organic farming is a highly relevant tool, which contains the potential to participate in solving simultaneously a range of problems related to food production, environment, animal welfare, and rural development
Organic food and farming is becoming a major opportunity for food producers in Europe, due to a growing consumer interest for certified organic products. This is a precondition for developing a market for organic food and create income for farmers
Organic food and farming should be developed further in Europe.

Experience from various countries in Europe demonstrates that the development of organic food and farming has been facilitated by Action Plans, i.e. strategic actions developed and undertaken in close partnership between the public and the private sector, including consumers, farmers, producers, retailers, non governmental organisations (NGO's), researchers and other important stakeholders.

In order to facilitate partnerships and actions also at European level the conference calls upon the Council, the European Commission and European governments to secure that the process towards a European Action Plan will continue.

Within the next two years the European Action Plan should:

Analyse the barriers to and potential for further growth within production, processing, trade and consumption of organic products in Europe.

Present a consensus-oriented and market-based strategy, which involves all stakeholders within Europe as a whole, including the European Commission, national governments, consumers, farmers, producers, retailers, NGO's, researchers and other important stakeholders.
Cover all aspects concerning the development of organic food and farming in Europe, including areas such as environmental protection, animal welfare, consumer-behaviour, market-development, food-safety, food-quality, regulation, certification and labelling, research and international trade. By the choice of themes the conference has itself covered all key-aspects and thereby produced a range of specific recommendations which should be used as an input to the European Action Plan.
Analyse the relationship between, on the one hand the opportunities for the further development of organic food and farming and, on the other hand the Common Agricultural Policy and other international agreements including WTO and Codex Alimentarius.

During the conference the declaration has been signed by:.

Austria: Mr. Wilhelm Molterer, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, Environment and Waterprotection.

Denmark: Ms. Ritt Bjerregaard, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries

Estonia: Mr. Ivari Padar, Minister of Agriculture.

Germany: Ms. Renate Künast, Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Nutrition and Agriculture,

Greece: Mr. Evangelos Argyris,Viceminister of Agriculture.

Ireland: Mr. Noel Davern, Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture.

Lithuania: Mr. Mindaugas Kuklerius,Vice minister of Agriculture.

Norway: Mr. Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, Minister of Agriculture

Schweiz: Mr. Manfred Bötsch, Director, Federal Office for Agriculture.

Sweden: Ms. Margareta Winberg, Minister of Agriculture.

The Netherlands: Mr. C. J. Kalden, General Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries.

United Kingdom: Mr. Elliot Morley, Junior Minister, Agriculture.

Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (COPA): Mr. Peter Gæmelke, Vicepresident.

European Community of Consumer Cooperatives (Euro Coop): Ms. Maria Gardfjell.

European Environmental Bureau (EEB): Mr. Gijs Kuneman, Chair of the Agriculture Working Group.

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM): Mr. Gunnar Rundgren, President

In signing this declaration from the European conference "Organic Food and Farming - Towards Partnership and Action in Europe", 10^th to 11^th of May 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark we wish to highlight that: