Member states represented in the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) have endorsed the deal on the overhaul of existing rules on organic production and labelling of organic products.
This follows a provisional agreement with the European Parliament that had been reached in June.
The new EU rules set more modern and uniform rules across the EU with the aim of encouraging the sustainable development of organic production across Europe.
They also aim to guarantee fair competition for farmers and operators, prevent fraud and unfair practices and improve consumer confidence in organic products.
What are the next steps?
Following approval by the SCA, the spokesperson of the SCA will send a letter to the chairperson of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
That letter will indicate that, if the Parliament adopts at its plenary session the compromise text as approved by the SCA, the Council will adopt the same text in first reading without amendments.
The new regulation will apply from January 2021.