Koen Van Troos

🌱 Belgium’s #chocolate future hangs in the balance – will our MEPs act? Intensive #cocoa farming is destroying the very forests it needs to survive. Without #EUDR our iconic chocolate industry faces an existential threat, as mentioned by Thiery Noesen, CEO of Belvas. #belgianchocolate

The 2024 Fairtrade Belgium annual report is out 💥

Nearly €4 Mio in Fairtrade premiums generated in Belgium: directly supporting farmers and workers around the world.

Check our report:
NL ➡️ www.fairtrade.net/be-nl/nieuws...
FR ➡️ www.fairtrade.net/be-fr/actual...

#Fairtrade #AnnualReport

🛑 The #FairTrade Movement regrets the Council’s position on #CSDDD. It weakens due diligence, sidelines smallholders, workers and responsible businesses & risks long-term harm to EU competitiveness.

We urge MEPs to defend a truly risk-based, full supply chain approach.

📄 bit.ly/3GcwrJE

While the world watches Israel's war with Iran, Netanyahu's extremist government continues to starve and massacre Palestinians in Gaza.

Today, Israeli forces again opened fire on people desperately trying to collect food aid, killing dozens. Over 56,000 have been killed so far.

Today, the FTAO team was at the Port of Antwerp with @fairtradebelgium.bsky.social & a delegation of cocoa producer representatives from Ghana & Côte d'Ivoire 🌍🍫

The visit was a fascinating look at a crucial stage of the supply chain: from ship to storage, including quality control & traceability.

"Have we asked ourselves why, despite the numerous interventions on #LivingIncomes, the gap still remains? If projects only last 1-2 years, how can we expect farmers not to revert to their original situation once the support ends?"

🗣️Solomon Boateng, Executive Secretary of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union.

Delighted to hear from Guillaume Delautre, from @ilo.org, delivering the keynote speech at our #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages Conference.

He brought powerful insights on how the ILO works with governments, employers & workers to implement living wages in agricultural supply chains & beyond. 🏢🤝👷‍♀️

Today at @europarl.europa.eu, we brought together smallholder farmers & representatives with EU policymakers to discuss the impact of EU policies on smallholders & the need for fairer trade & sustainability laws.🌍⚖️🌱

Thanks to MEP @saskiabricmont.bsky.social for hosting this vital conversation 🤝

"If tomorrow, each of us implemented a small change - be it in our policies, our procurement or simply in how we talk about fairness - the ripple effects would be huge."

🗣️ Opening remarks from FTAO’s @virginiaenssle.bsky.social at the #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages conference at @eesc.bsky.social.

🌍🚀 Kicking off the #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages Conference at @eesc.bsky.social!

We are thrilled to bring together policymakers, companies & civil society to bridge policy & practice for fairer agricultural supply chains.

Hosted by Fairtrade International & FTAO - stay tuned for key insights 👇

#cartoon #goldeonoldie uit 2017 die gewoon achteraf bekeken recht in de roos was. (Via www.lectrr.com)

The EU promised to protect people & planet, but now it's backtracking.❌

The #Omnibus threatens key sustainability laws & protection for 600M smallholder farmers worldwide.

✊ We urge co-legislators to reject these rollbacks & uphold the #CSDDD.

Our statement⤵️
fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/145-om...

OMNIBUS PACKAGE RISKS LIVELIHOODS OF MILLIONS OF SMALLHOLDERS WORLDWIDE - Solidaridad Network The European Commission presented its first Omnibus simplification package, proposing sweeping changes to key legislation that was meant to ensure corporate accountability. If adopted, these drastic c...

A bad call overall: EU Omnibus Package Risks Livelihoods of Millions of Smallholders Worldwide.

Read our statement with Fairtrade International, @fairtradeftao.bsky.social, @rainforestalliance.bsky.social
www.solidaridadnetwork.org/news/omnibus...

#CSDDD

"Waarheid, wetenschap en wapens, dat zijn de pijlers waarop de EU voortaan moet steunen"

Ontwikkelingssamenwerking schrappen is een valse besparing De uitspraak van MR-voorzitter Georges-Louis Bouchez dat de uitgaven voor ontwikkelingssamenwerking helemaal geschrapt mogen worden past in een internationale trend. Maar ontwikkelingssamenwerking red...

www.tijd.be/opinie/algem...

“Ken de boer, is de boodschap. Waar komt mijn koffie vandaan? Heeft die boer een eerlijke prijs gekregen? #Fairtrade koffie is misschien iets duurder dan de koffie in de supermarkt, maar zo weet je tenminste dat de boer een eerlijke prijs heeft gekregen ». @de morgen www.demorgen.be/cs-b936170f/

100% akkoord met @11.be.
Bovendien: Hakken in internationale samenwerking zal ook gevolgen hebben voor Belgische bedrijven. De chocolade- en koffie-sector, is bijvoorbeeld afhankelijk van stabiele waardeketens. Klimaatverandering en instabiliteit in productielanden bedreigen hun aanvoer.

Coupes importantes dans la coopération au développement : l’Arizona tire un trait sur la lutte contre les inégalités

⚠️ La nvelle super-note sur la table de l’Arizona prévoit une réduction de 25% du budget de la coopération au développement. À l'heure où les conflits et les catastrophes climatiques se multiplient, cette réduction si elle est actée serait dramatique. Notre réaction👇
oxfambelgique.be/coupes-impor...

"Businessmen became politicians and were acclaimed as statesmen, while statesmen were taken seriously only if they talked the language of successful businessmen."

— Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism

Today, as the #ECOFIN Ministers Council discuss the #Omnibus package, we urge leaders to reject the false trade-off between reducing regulatory burden & advancing sustainability.

Weakening the #CSDDD risks uncertainty, harms committed companies & delays progress on human rights and the environment.

Belgium to investigate Apple's alleged use of Congolese 'blood minerals' Belgium has launched an investigation into allegations that US technology giant Apple sourced 'blood minerals' from the Democratic Republic of...

Belgium to investigate Apple's alleged use of Congolese 'blood minerals'

Watch Don't Look Up | Netflix Official Site Twee astronomen gaan op mediatour om te waarschuwen dat er een allesvernietigende komeet op weg is richting de aarde. Maar niemand is geïnteresseerd in echt nieuws.

Ideaal moment om naar dont look up op netflix te kijken en een idee te krijgen over wat ons komende 4 jaar te wachten staat #eyeopener www.netflix.com/be/title/812...

Four years ago I wrote my inaugural poem The Hill We Climb. Both when I wrote it and performed it, I did so while continuously reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King’s legacy.

Make Belgium the country of #fairtrade! This is what we promoted yesterday at our annual fair trade breakfast at the Belgian federal Parliament, in the presence of the speaker Peter De Roover, together with Belgian coffee and chocolate actors such as Rombouts and Galler #enablingchange

🚨Plus de 160 organisations de la société civile, syndicats et activistes disent #NoToOmnibus
Nous voulons une UE qui soit exemplaire en matière de protection des humains et de la planète. Affaiblir la #CSDDD, #CSRD & #EUTaxonomy est une trahison faite aux engagements européens.

Shein: Inside the Chinese factories fuelling the company's success Workers making clothes for the fast fashion giant tell the BBC they labour for up to 75 hours a week.

This is why we need to be much more careful with how we shop in Europe and to regulate better stores and their suppliers
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdrylgvr77jo
#HumanRights #Fairtrade #Fairwear #LivingWage #csrd #csddd

Het ‘eerlijke’ katoen van westerse merken? Geoogst door Indiase kinderen Een onderzoeksrapport van de ngo Transparentem schetst een grimmig beeld van de katoen­productie in de Indiase regio Madhya Pradesh. Zestig westerse bedrijven, waaronder Adidas, H&M Group en Zara, worden gelinkt aan omstreden toeleveranciers.

'“We mogen ons niet blindstaren op duurzaamheidslabels, omdat die vaak veel beloven, maar niets garanderen'. Wel heel kort door de bocht @de-standaard.bsky.social, en ook niet correct. Alsof dat voor alle labels zo zou zijn www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20250...

⏰ Naar jaarlijkse gewoonte publiceren we ons ongelijkheidsrapport op de openingsdag van het Wereld Economisch Forum in #Davos op 20 januari.

Neem contact op met @belindatorres.bsky.social voor interviewverzoeken of een onder embargo vallend exemplaar van het persbericht en rapport. #WEF2025