Today, the European Commission announced the winner of the EU organic logo competition.

Over the past two months, some 130,000 people have voted online to choose the new organic symbol from three finalists.

The winning design is by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63% of the overall vote for his “Euro-leaf” logo.

From 1st July 2010, the organic logo of the EU will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic products that have been produced in any of the EU Member States and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes.

Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, who first proposed the competition to select the logo, said that this exercise has been very advantageous for organic food to be put forward and more easier to be identify in stores.

The winning logo was the result of a pan-European contest open to art and design students. The nearly 3,500 logo designs submitted were examined by an internationally renowned jury. The best three logos were uploaded on the competition website www.ec.europa.eu/organic-logo and subject to an online vote which ended on 31 January 2010.

The ”Euro-leaf” design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background. It is a very straightforward sign containing two clear messages: Nature and Europe.

The winner and the winners of the second and third prize will be honoured by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development at an official award ceremony that will take place in Brussels in July 2010. The three winners will receive prizes of €6,000, €3,500 and €2,500.