• The European Commission announces the finalists for the 2023 EU Organic Awards.
• In total, 24 finalists from 11 countries of the European Union for 8 categories in which 3 semi-finalists compete
• Spain has placed three projects in the finals, which will take place in Brussels on September 25.

The European Union (EU ) Organic Awards were first launched in 2022 as part of a commitment made in the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production. The aim is to recognise the excellence of all those involved in the organic sector's production chain: from farmers and ranchers to restaurants, from SMEs to the cities that compete in this sector. Furthermore, organic production is considered a key factor in the EU for achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal , the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy .

These awards comprise 7 categories and 8 individual prizes:

• Category 1 - Best Organic Farmer (Female) / Best Organic Farmer (Male)
• Category 2 - Best Organic Region
• Category 3 - Best Organic City
• Category 4 - Best organic “bio-district”
• Category 5 - Best small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) processing organic food
• Category 6 - Best Organic Food Retailer
• Category 7 - Best Organic Food Restaurant

Spanish semifinalists

The European Commission has announced the names of the 24 finalists from 11 EU countries who will compete for the award in their respective categories. Among them are three Spanish projects:

1. Clara Benito Pacheco (Entrelobas) (Serrada de la Fuente, Madrid)

Extensive organic livestock farming in the northern mountains of Madrid. She has been nominated for Best Organic Farmer.

2. Mikhaylo Haliv (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha)

He has been nominated in the category of best organic farmer.

3. Valle y Vega Agroecological Cooperative - Churriana de la Vega (Granada)

This agroecological cooperative focuses on short-channel marketing, that is, delivering organic food from its gardens to consumers with minimal distribution and transportation costs. This commitment to local markets enables direct contact between citizens and the rural environment. For this reason, they have been named in the category of best organic food retailer.

The finalists were selected from among 100 applications from across Europe, with a greater presence of Central European and Baltic participants compared to last year.

The winners will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on September 25.

2022 Selected

Last year, the PAC Network also announced the Spanish finalists competing in the first edition of these awards in 2022. They can be found here .