Koen Van Troos
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koenvantroos.bsky.social
Koen Van Troos
@koenvantroos.bsky.social
PR & advocacy at Fairtrade - Brussels based - 🍫🍷☕️🍌
🌱 Belgium’s #chocolate future hangs in the balance – will our MEPs act? Intensive #cocoa farming is destroying the very forests it needs to survive. Without #EUDR our iconic chocolate industry faces an existential threat, as mentioned by Thiery Noesen, CEO of Belvas. #belgianchocolate
July 9, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
The 2024 Fairtrade Belgium annual report is out 💥

Nearly €4 Mio in Fairtrade premiums generated in Belgium: directly supporting farmers and workers around the world.

Check our report:
NL ➡️ www.fairtrade.net/be-nl/nieuws...
FR ➡️ www.fairtrade.net/be-fr/actual...

#Fairtrade #AnnualReport
June 24, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
🛑 The #FairTrade Movement regrets the Council’s position on #CSDDD. It weakens due diligence, sidelines smallholders, workers and responsible businesses & risks long-term harm to EU competitiveness.

We urge MEPs to defend a truly risk-based, full supply chain approach.

📄 bit.ly/3GcwrJE
June 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
While the world watches Israel's war with Iran, Netanyahu's extremist government continues to starve and massacre Palestinians in Gaza.

Today, Israeli forces again opened fire on people desperately trying to collect food aid, killing dozens. Over 56,000 have been killed so far.
BREAKING: Palestinian witnesses and hospitals say Israeli forces opened fire toward hundreds of people waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people.
Israeli forces fire on people waiting for aid in Gaza, killing 25, witnesses and hospitals say
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of people waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza.
bit.ly
June 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Today, the FTAO team was at the Port of Antwerp with @fairtradebelgium.bsky.social & a delegation of cocoa producer representatives from Ghana & Côte d'Ivoire 🌍🍫

The visit was a fascinating look at a crucial stage of the supply chain: from ship to storage, including quality control & traceability.
May 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
"Have we asked ourselves why, despite the numerous interventions on #LivingIncomes, the gap still remains? If projects only last 1-2 years, how can we expect farmers not to revert to their original situation once the support ends?"

🗣️Solomon Boateng, Executive Secretary of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union.
May 20, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Delighted to hear from Guillaume Delautre, from @ilo.org, delivering the keynote speech at our #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages Conference.

He brought powerful insights on how the ILO works with governments, employers & workers to implement living wages in agricultural supply chains & beyond. 🏢🤝👷‍♀️
May 20, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Today at @europarl.europa.eu, we brought together smallholder farmers & representatives with EU policymakers to discuss the impact of EU policies on smallholders & the need for fairer trade & sustainability laws.🌍⚖️🌱

Thanks to MEP @saskiabricmont.bsky.social for hosting this vital conversation 🤝
May 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
"If tomorrow, each of us implemented a small change - be it in our policies, our procurement or simply in how we talk about fairness - the ripple effects would be huge."

🗣️ Opening remarks from FTAO’s @virginiaenssle.bsky.social at the #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages conference at @eesc.bsky.social.
May 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
🌍🚀 Kicking off the #LivingIncomes & #LivingWages Conference at @eesc.bsky.social!

We are thrilled to bring together policymakers, companies & civil society to bridge policy & practice for fairer agricultural supply chains.

Hosted by Fairtrade International & FTAO - stay tuned for key insights 👇
May 20, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
#cartoon #goldeonoldie uit 2017 die gewoon achteraf bekeken recht in de roos was. (Via www.lectrr.com)
February 28, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
The EU promised to protect people & planet, but now it's backtracking.❌

The #Omnibus threatens key sustainability laws & protection for 600M smallholder farmers worldwide.

✊ We urge co-legislators to reject these rollbacks & uphold the #CSDDD.

Our statement⤵️
fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/145-om...
February 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
A bad call overall: EU Omnibus Package Risks Livelihoods of Millions of Smallholders Worldwide.

Read our statement with Fairtrade International, @fairtradeftao.bsky.social, @rainforestalliance.bsky.social
www.solidaridadnetwork.org/news/omnibus...

#CSDDD
OMNIBUS PACKAGE RISKS LIVELIHOODS OF MILLIONS OF SMALLHOLDERS WORLDWIDE - Solidaridad Network
The European Commission presented its first Omnibus simplification package, proposing sweeping changes to key legislation that was meant to ensure corporate accountability. If adopted, these drastic c...
www.solidaridadnetwork.org
February 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"Waarheid, wetenschap en wapens, dat zijn de pijlers waarop de EU voortaan moet steunen"
March 1, 2025 at 7:21 AM
“Ken de boer, is de boodschap. Waar komt mijn koffie vandaan? Heeft die boer een eerlijke prijs gekregen? #Fairtrade koffie is misschien iets duurder dan de koffie in de supermarkt, maar zo weet je tenminste dat de boer een eerlijke prijs heeft gekregen ». @de morgen www.demorgen.be/cs-b936170f/
‘Er komt geen koffie in de rekken als de supermarkten niet willen betalen’
Waar er een paar weken geleden nog pakken koffie stonden, zijn in Nederland de rekken nu leeg. Koffie-expert Bregje Deben vertelt waarom. ‘Zelfs in Azië en het Midden-Oosten is er meer vraag.’
www.demorgen.be
February 13, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
100% akkoord met @11.be.
Bovendien: Hakken in internationale samenwerking zal ook gevolgen hebben voor Belgische bedrijven. De chocolade- en koffie-sector, is bijvoorbeeld afhankelijk van stabiele waardeketens. Klimaatverandering en instabiliteit in productielanden bedreigen hun aanvoer.
11.be 11.11.11 @11.be · Jan 23
Laat ons glashelder zijn: Deze besparingen zijn kortzichtig en gevaarlijk.

Besparen op ontwikkelingssamenwerking is een keuze voor een wereld met nog meer instabiliteit, chaos en onveiligheid. Dat kan niemand zich veroorloven.

Wanneer de wereld brandt, is solidariteit geen luxe of voetnoot. 🧵
January 23, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
⚠️ La nvelle super-note sur la table de l’Arizona prévoit une réduction de 25% du budget de la coopération au développement. À l'heure où les conflits et les catastrophes climatiques se multiplient, cette réduction si elle est actée serait dramatique. Notre réaction👇
oxfambelgique.be/coupes-impor...
Coupes importantes dans la coopération au développement : l’Arizona tire un trait sur la lutte contre les inégalités
oxfambelgique.be
January 23, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
"Businessmen became politicians and were acclaimed as statesmen, while statesmen were taken seriously only if they talked the language of successful businessmen."

— Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
January 20, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Today, as the #ECOFIN Ministers Council discuss the #Omnibus package, we urge leaders to reject the false trade-off between reducing regulatory burden & advancing sustainability.

Weakening the #CSDDD risks uncertainty, harms committed companies & delays progress on human rights and the environment.
January 21, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Belgium to investigate Apple's alleged use of Congolese 'blood minerals'
Belgium to investigate Apple's alleged use of Congolese 'blood minerals'
Belgium has launched an investigation into allegations that US technology giant Apple sourced 'blood minerals' from the Democratic Republic of...
www.belganewsagency.eu
January 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Ideaal moment om naar dont look up op netflix te kijken en een idee te krijgen over wat ons komende 4 jaar te wachten staat #eyeopener www.netflix.com/be/title/812...
Watch Don't Look Up | Netflix Official Site
Twee astronomen gaan op mediatour om te waarschuwen dat er een allesvernietigende komeet op weg is richting de aarde. Maar niemand is geïnteresseerd in echt nieuws.
www.netflix.com
January 20, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Four years ago I wrote my inaugural poem The Hill We Climb. Both when I wrote it and performed it, I did so while continuously reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King’s legacy.
January 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
Make Belgium the country of #fairtrade! This is what we promoted yesterday at our annual fair trade breakfast at the Belgian federal Parliament, in the presence of the speaker Peter De Roover, together with Belgian coffee and chocolate actors such as Rombouts and Galler #enablingchange
January 17, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Reposted by Koen Van Troos
🚨Plus de 160 organisations de la société civile, syndicats et activistes disent #NoToOmnibus
Nous voulons une UE qui soit exemplaire en matière de protection des humains et de la planète. Affaiblir la #CSDDD, #CSRD & #EUTaxonomy est une trahison faite aux engagements européens.
January 14, 2025 at 11:11 AM