The creation of the
International Olive Council, as a consequence of the entry
into force of the 1956 International Olive Oil Agreement, was a true
act of faith.
Apart from the obvious trade
concerns and the need to organize the international olive oil market,
this move highlighted the common desire of the members to set up and
develop a united framework to defend and safeguard the olive tree and
olive oil.
For most of the parties to
the agreement, olive farming must necessarily be taken into account in
any detailed consideration of agriculture, employment, rural
depopulation, trade in agricultural food, soil and environmental
conservation and many other subjects of fundamental socio-economic
importance.
As the intergovernmental
organization in charge of administering the International Olive Oil
Agreement, the International Olive Oil Council has
become over the years a unique multilateral tool working for world
olive farming.
It is the ideal forum for experts to meet and debate, and provides an
exceptional setting for reflection and decision-making where the broad
lines of action to secure the future of world olive growing are mapped
out.
By coordinating national
production and marketing policies for olive oils and table olives,
adopting rules and standards to ensure product authenticity and
implementing multidisciplinary activities in the fields of
agriculture, technology, science and information, the Council has
become the linchpin of any multilateral activity aimed at defending
and promoting the olive tree and its produce.
More than forty years on,
boosted by the support of its members and its experience, the Council
now enjoys undeniable international prestige and it can look to the
future with justifiable determination and optimism.
The fact that the prestige of
olive oil is growing stronger by the day far beyond its Mediterranean
borders confirms that our ancestors were right. At the same time it
augurs a new lease of life for this age-old tree and encourages the
entire olive community to continue working for all those who earn
their livelihood from olive farming.
