Following its earlier announcement and decision of the Executive
Board, the European Beekeeping Association (EBA) has successfully
implemented its initiative to deliver authentic European honey from 31
European countries to the EU Commissioner.
On 16 December 2025, the collection of real European honey,
contributed by EBA member associations across Europe, was formally
handed over to EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development,
Mr Christophe Hansen, by MEP Peter Agius, acting on behalf of the
European Beekeeping Association.
This action represents the practical implementation of EBA’s campaign
aimed at raising awareness about the alarming scale of honey fraud in
Europe. Despite Europe’s rich beekeeping tradition, around half of the
honey available to European consumers is adulterated or fake,
according to available EU-level data.
By delivering real, authentic honey from across Europe, EBA wished to
underline how rare genuine honey has become on the European market —
and to remind policymakers that supporting local beekeepers and
authentic European production is the only real guarantee for
consumers.
Commenting on the initiative, EBA President Mr Boštjan Noč stated:
“With this action, we wanted to show the difference between real
European honey and the products that unfortunately dominate today’s
market. European beekeepers are producing high-quality, authentic
honey, but without strong political support and clear EU-level action
against fraud, beekeeping in Europe is at serious risk. If we lose
beekeepers, we lose bees, pollination, and ultimately food security.”
Through this symbolic but concrete gesture, EBA reiterated its call
for strong EU-level action against honey fraud and once again
emphasized its proposal for a single European promotional campaign
under the message:
“EUROPE BUYS LOCAL HONEY!
The European Beekeeping Association stresses that buying local honey
directly from local beekeepers remains the most reliable way for
consumers to ensure they are purchasing real honey, while also
supporting pollination, biodiversity, and Europe’s food security.
EBA thanks MEP Peter Agius for his support in delivering this
initiative and reaffirms its commitment to continuing education,
public awareness campaigns, and concrete actions in defense of
European beekeepers and consumers.
