EUROPEAN BEE LOVERS

THE “EUROPEAN BEE LOVERS” PROJECT, PROPOSED BY THE BEELIFE EUROPEAN BEEKEEPING COORDINATION, PURSUES THE AIM TO ENHANCE THE ROLE OF BEES AND POLLINATORS AS BIO-INDICATORS OF THE STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND TO PROMOTE BEEKEEPING AS AN ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY FOR ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION. THE PROGRAM FACES THREE OBJECTIVES: RAISING AWARENESS OF THE INTRINSIC VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN HONEY PRODUCT (1), INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF THE UNION SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES BY SUPPORTING BEEKEEPING AS AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY IN THE EU (2), PROMOTE AND INCENTIVISE AWARENESS OF EUROPEAN HONEY AND ITS CONSUMPTION (3). BELGIUM IS THE CHOSEN TARGET COUNTRY, DUE TO ITS AGRICULTURE AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS UNIQUE POSITION FROM A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE, AS IT HOSTS THE SYMBOLIC CAPITAL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. FROM BELGIUM, MANY CULTURAL MOVEMENTS AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS CAN SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE UNION, AND SOME INSTANCES CAN FIND A WIDE-SOUNDING BOARD. THE PROJECT IS COHERENT WITH THE PRIORITIES OF THE ANNUAL WORK 2025 COMMISSION, TOPIC 3 (I’M SUSTAINABLE) AND WITH THE CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AMBITION OF THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) AND THE GREEN DEAL. THE STRATEGY DIVERSIFIES THE ACTIONS ON SPECIFIC TARGETS: AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY, BELGIAN ADULT CONSUMERS AND MEDIA, DECISION MAKERS (AT EUROPEAN LEVEL). THE PROJECT IS CHARACTERISED BY A UNION DIMENSION, BOTH IN THE CONTENT OF THE MAIN MESSAGE, REFERABLE TO ALL ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES, AND IN THE IMPACT, PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF PEOPLE REACHED. THE FINAL OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THE STRUCTURALLY IMPORTANT ROLE PLAYED BY BEES IN THE PROTECTION OF THE LAND AND BIODIVERSITY TO WHICH THE PROSPERITY OF AN AREA IS LINKED IN MULTIPLE RESPECTS (SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL).