The RECOMED General Assembly was successfully held in Malta (St Julians) with the participation of 7 RECOMED member countries: Greece, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Turkiye
The General Assembly focused on the activities of the Network in the period 2023-2024 and their expansion. New members, such as Malta and Slovenia represented by the Olive Growers’ Cooperative and the Municipality of Koper respectively joined the Network strengthening its dynamics. RECOMED’s new website, enriched with information on olive culture and the potential of olive tourism, is emerging as an important promotional tool with an emphasis on strengthening its presence in social networks.
New actions planned for the next period were presented and discussed, such as the celebration of the 26 November UNESCO World Olive Day, the establishment of an “olive capital city” every year and the organisation of competitions to highlight olive interest points, stories about century-old olive trees and good olive tourism practices. At the same time, it was decided to create a Scientific Committee to further strengthen the sustainability and prestige of the Network’s activities.
During the General Assembly, Mr. Jose M. Penco, representative of AEMO (Spain), presented a declaration in favour of fair prices for extra virgin olive oil. The document, which promotes sustainability and recognition of the true value of the product, was unanimously adopted by RECOMED members and members committed to promote the declaration by all available means, reinforcing its importance for producers and the olive oil sector internationally.
Also, an interesting initiative was proposed by the member Citta dell’Olio (Italy), the planting of the “Olive of Peace” in Hiroshima, which will further strengthen RECOMED’s cultural identity and its Mediterranean character.
At the General Assembly it was unanimously decided that Turkiye will take over the presidency of RECOMED for the period 2025-2026, with Dr. Hilmi Yildirim (Didim Chamber of Agriculture) as President. The new administration was constituted in a full body, with the participation of member countries taking up key positions: Italy (Citta dell’Olio) as First Vice-President, Spain (AEMO) as Second Vice-President, Slovenia (Municipality of Koper) as Secretary General, Malta (Olive Growers Cooperative LTD- Malta) as Financial Secretary, Greece (Olive Tree Routes – OTR Foundation) and Montenegro (Olive Growers Association Boka) as Members.
On the occasion of the General Assembly, RECOMED members had the opportunity to visit sightseeing and olive growing sites in Malta and to enjoy the warm hospitality of the host ”Olive Growers Cooperative Limited – Malta” and its President Mr. Jimmy Magro. A special moment and honour was the working lunch hosted by the Maltese Minister of Agriculture, who underlined the importance of cooperation in the Mediterranean region for the promotion of olive production and olive culture.
