The creation of the International Olive Council, as a consequence of the entry into force of the 1956 International Olive Oil Agreement, was a true act of faith.

Apart from the obvious trade concerns and the need to organise the international olive oil market, this move highlighted the common desire of the members to set up and develop a united framework to defend and safeguard the olive tree and olive oil.

For most of the parties to the Agreement, olive farming must necessarily be taken into acount in any detailed consideration of agriculture, employment, rural depopulation, trade in agrifoodstuffs,soil and environmental conservation and many other subjects of fundamental socio-economic importance.

As the intergovernmental organisation in charge of administering the International Olive Oil Agreement, the International Olive Oil Council has become over the years a unique multilateral tool working for world olive farming.

It is the ideal forum for experts to meet and debate, and provides an exceptional setting for reflection and decision-making where the broad lines of action to secure the future of world olive growing are mapped out.

By coordinating national production and marketing policies for olive oils and table olives, adopting rules and standards to ensure product authenticity and implementing multidisciplinary activities in the fields of agriculture, technology, science and information, the Council has become the linchpin of any multilateral activity aimed at defending and promoting the olive tree and its produce.

More than forty years on, boosted by the support of its members and its experience, the Council now enjoys undeniable international prestige and it can look to the future with justifiable determination and optimism.

The fact that the prestige of olive oil is growing stronger by the day far beyond its Mediterranean borders confirms that our ancestors were right. At the same time it augurs a new lease of life for this age-old tree and encourages the entire olive community to continue working for all those who earn their livelihood from olive farming.