BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination - An NGO Working for the Protection of Bees
The name BeeLife has become increasingly popular, and other organisations, including commercial ones, are adopting it. This situation has created some confusion on what the BeeLife name stands for. However, by recognising its distinctive logo and full name, BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination stands apart from private companies developing beekeeping products. The Coordination is a European NGO focusing on environmental issues that affect bees, continuously working for their protection. As the colony collapse disorder continued to spread around Europe, beekeepers and beekeeping associations began to improve their collaborations to find out the causes and to counter their effects. To advance their joint efforts to improve environmental conditions for bees and biodiversity, collaborators from several European countries came together in 2013 to formally create the NGO BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination. Since its registry, it has been working at the European level to improve conditions for bees. BeeLife stands on the ground that bees have an intrinsic value and that they play an essential role in the balance of ecosystems, thus deserving protection.
Old (2013) & new logo (2018) BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination
The Coordination is an organisation formed by over 20 beekeeping associations from several countries of the European Union. It has been actively working on several essential dossiers for bees such as pesticide use and integrated pest management; developments of the Common Agricultural Policy; defending the 2013 neonicotinoid partial ban in the Bayer and Syngenta vs European Commission European Court of Justice case, and even co-organising the Bee Week at the European Parliament, among other activities. BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination is registered in Belgium as a non-profit association, and its range of activities are not commercial. However, this does not mean that the NGO is distant from the technological developments in the field of apiculture. It also takes part in the European Union funded project, The Internet of Bees. Through it, BeeLife is exploring how the applications of new technological developments to beekeeping can help improve bee health by gathering data on bees and their surrounding environment without disturbing the colonies. To avoid any further confusion, BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination insists on its particular traits that set it aside from any commercial organisations with a similar name. Therefore, next time you see an article or an advertisement including the name BeeLife, be sure that our logo or full name "BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination" stand out.