Research of the European Union Market in the Field of Organic Agriculture

The growing importance of the organic sector in the EU has contributed to the creation of an action plan for organic agriculture, which was published by the European Commission in June 2004. The organic sector experts, various interest groups and commissions, the European Parliament, as well as the representatives of the EU countries have collaborated in the creation of the action plan (this process lasted for three years). The Action Plan objective is stimulating the development of organic food in the EU market, in order to meet the growing consumer demand for organic products and support efficient management of organic land for the sake of environmental benefits. In order for organic agriculture to have a significant role towards the creation of sustainable agriculture it is necessary to achieve the policy objectives such as reducing negative impacts on the environment, stimulating rural development, supplying markets with quality food, strengthening the competitiveness of EU agriculture and reducing agricultural costs in the long run. The creation of multifunctional organic agriculture is a major challenge for policy makers who need to find a compromise so that different objectives can be met. This means that government policies and market mechanisms must cooperate in order to implement principles of organic agriculture.