The European confederation of agricultural cooperatives (COGECA) held the award ceremony for the 6th edition of the European Award for Cooperative Innovation on 19 November at the European Parliament. During the event, it recognised 11 cooperatives and organizations for their innovative contributions to sustainability, digitalisation, community empowerment and economic development within the European agri-food cooperative sector.
The celebration, organised in the context of the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives, was co-chaired by Members of the European Parliament André Franqueira Rodrigues and Francisco Assis (S&D, Portugal). The ceremony highlighted the unique ability of the cooperative model to promote long-term rural resilience, farmer-driven innovation and fair economic value distribution. This year’s edition introduced a new structure, with awards organised into four categories: Economic; Environmental; Social; and Cooperation for Sustainability.
The ceremony opened with remarks by Roberto García Torrente, Director of Sustainability and Agri-food Development at Grupo Cajamar (Spain), and Hélène-Diane Dage of the European Commission’s DG GROW, who both emphasised the transformative power of cooperatives in combining technological progress with social responsibility. They also stressed how cooperatives provide practical, farmer-centred solutions to the environmental and economic challenges facing rural Europe.
For his part, Lennart Nilsson, President of COGECA, stated: “Cooperatives are not just economic actors; they are drivers of innovation, sustainability and community strength.” He added that this year’s awardees “exemplify how collective action can turn challenges into opportunities, ensuring a prosperous future for European agriculture.”
List of winners
The 11 winners were selected from entries submitted by seven European countries, showcasing wide diversity and innovative proposals emerging from the sector. The cooperatives honoured in each category were:
Economic Value Creation:
- VICASOL (Spain) – Operational efficiency through automation and control.
- Deutscher Raiffeisenverband e.V. (Germany) – Digital transformation to enhance cooperative efficiency.
- Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España (Spain) – Branding strategies to increase market value.
Environmental Value Creation:
- Tereos (France) – Decarbonisation and acceleration of the green transition.
- SAT 2803 TROPS (Spain) – Systemic change through integrated digitalisation and governance.
- Tirlán (Ireland) – Science-based model to improve national water quality.
Social Value Creation:
- Raiffeisen Agri Leese eG (Germany) – Strengthening rural communities through cooperative care networks.
- Valio (Finland) – Empowering young farmers through cooperative training.
- Cooperative of Farmers of the Southern Great Plain (Hungary) – Linking theory and practice to build sustainable agricultural skills.
Cooperation for Sustainability:
- Legacoop (Italy) – Public-private cooperation for climate resilience.
- VIVESCIA (France) – Innovation in low-carbon value chains.
Finally, the Jury awarded four Special Prizes for outstanding achievements to the following cooperatives:
- VICASOL (Spain) – Special Prize for Economic Value Creation.
- Tereos (France) – Special Prize for Environmental Value Creation.
- Raiffeisen Agri Leese eG (Germany) – Special Prize for Social Value Creation.
- Legacoop (Italy) – Special Prize for Cooperation for Sustainability
