European Union lawmakers agreed to keep organic imports from 11 recognised countries flowing until Dec. 31, 2036.<\/p>\n
The European Parliament and the Council agreed to keep organic imports from 11 recognised non-EU countries flowing until Dec. 31, 2036, with new logo conditions.<\/p>\n
The European Commission welcomed the political agreement in a press release dated Oct. 19, 20261<\/a><\/sup>. The deal amends Regulation (EU) 2018\/848, the European Union (EU) law on organic production and labelling, including its rules on trade with non-EU countries1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n In short, organic food and feed from the 11 recognised countries can keep entering the EU as organic for 10 more years. But a shipment from those countries may carry the green EU organic logo only if it also meets extra EU farming and control rules.<\/p>\n The EU recognises some non-EU countries as having organic farming and control systems "equivalent" to its own. Equivalent means the system meets the same goals and principles, even if it reaches them by different means2<\/a><\/sup>. Products from these countries can be sold in the EU as organic.<\/p>\n That recognition was due to run out. The Commission’s proposal of Dec. 16, 2025, known as COM(2025) 780, says the recognition of these countries will expire on Dec. 31, 2026<\/strong>2<\/a><\/sup>. The proposal says talks with those countries on organic trade agreements are still going on2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The Commission called the extension "necessary and urgent" to avoid disruptions in organic trade2<\/a><\/sup>. Its press release on the deal says the extension avoids disruptions in organic imports and exports while trade agreements are negotiated1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n A second reason is a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU’s highest court. In Case C-240\/23, known as Herbaria Kr\u00e4uterparadies, the court looked at products imported under the equivalence system3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The court ruled that such products may not carry the EU organic logo2<\/a><\/sup>. In principle, they also may not use terms such as "organic" on the label. The reason is that they meet only standards equivalent to EU rules, not the EU rules themselves2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The court did allow one thing. A product may carry the organic logo of the country it comes from, even if that logo contains words like "organic"2<\/a><\/sup>. The Commission said its proposal was a response to this judgment, and that the labelling of equivalent imports needed to be clarified1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The deal extends the recognition of 11 non-EU countries until Dec. 31, 2036<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>. These are the countries recognised for equivalence under the EU’s older organic law, Regulation (EC) No 834\/20072<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The documents do not list the 11 countries by name. They are the countries whose products currently enter the EU under the equivalence system rather than under a trade agreement2<\/a><\/sup>. The Commission says the extra 10 years give time to move to recognition through international agreements2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The Commission will keep supervising these countries during the extension. It does so under Article 48 of the organic regulation2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n Under the deal, imported organic products from countries with equivalent systems may use the EU organic logo. They must meet additional EU production and control requirements<\/strong> to do so1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\nWhy did the EU act on organic imports now?<\/h2>\n
What did the EU court decide about the organic logo?<\/h2>\n
Which countries keep their organic recognition until 2036?<\/h2>\n
What changes for the EU organic logo on imports?<\/h2>\n
Equivalent organic imports, before and after the deal<\/h4>\n