Organic Action Plan 2023–2026

The Organic Action Plan 2023–2026¹ and related strategic documents constitute key policy instruments guiding the WB6 in aligning with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and the objectives of the European Green Deal. These plans translate legislative alignment into operational measures and are central to the transition towards more sustainable and resilient food systems in the region.

The Common Market Organisation (CMO)

The Common Market Organisation (CMO)² is the framework governing the internal market for agricultural products in the European Union and constitutes a core pillar of the CAP. 
Its intervention logic is structured around four main areas:

1. Market Intervention: Direct support through public buying-in and aid for private storage
2. Marketing Standards: Mandatory rules on classification, packaging, and labelling to ensure a level playing field
3. Producer Organisations: Strengthening the bargaining power of farmers through collective negotiation and joint marketing
4. Trade with Non EU-Members: Managing import/export licences and tariff quotas to protect the Union market from external disturbances

The current CMO is established under Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, which consolidated a previously fragmented set of sector-specific market regimes into a single, harmonised legal framework. It applies to all agricultural products listed in Annex I to the EU Treaties, including cereals, milk and dairy products, meat, wine, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, and honey. The CMO seeks to improve conditions for the production and marketing of agricultural products, while increasingly integrating sustainability considerations in line with the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy.

The LEADER approach

The LEADER approach³ is an integrated, place-based development instrument that empowers local communities to define and implement their own development priorities. The acronym LEADER derives from the French “Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale”, reflecting its core objective of linking local actors and activities to support sustainable rural economies. Introduced in the early 1990s in response to the limitations of top-down rural policies, LEADER is built on a participatory methodology that mobilises local knowledge, social capital, and innovation. 

Its effectiveness depends on the combined application of seven interlinked features:

1. a bottom-up approach, whereby local actors shape priorities;
2. an area-based approach focused on socially and economically coherent territories;
3. local partnerships organised through Local Action Groups (LAGs);
4. integrated and multi-sectoral strategies that connect agriculture, tourism, services, and small businesses;
5. networking to share experience and good practice;
6. innovation to address local challenges in new ways;
7. cooperation, enabling joint projects across regions. LAGs act as the central governance mechanism, bringing together public authorities, private actors, and civil society in balanced partnerships to ensure inclusive and transparent decision-making.