ENA, the European Nurserystock Association, held its summer meeting in Budapest, Hungary, from 25 to 28 June 2024, with thirty-four delegates from across Europe. Magyar Díszkertészek Szakmaközi Szervezete, the Hungarian Interbranch Organisation for Ornamental Horticulture, hosted the meeting that was attended by representatives of the national nurseries’ organisations from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
The meetings were complemented by a visit to Pünkösdfürdő, Budapest’s newest park, to Flora Hungaria and the nurseries Profi Partner and Alsótekeresi. The main meeting was opened by Dr. István Nagy, the Minister of Agriculture in Hungary, and currently Chair of AGRIFISH, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the European Union, until the end of 2024.
The Minister shared a practical perspective on various EU legislative packages. All participants concurred that EU Regulations need not be burdensome. This collaborative viewpoint highlighted the importance of balancing regulatory measures with practical implementation strategies to ensure they are both effective and manageable. Jennifer Pheasey from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the ENA member in the United
Kingdom, shared the significant challenges at UK Border Control Posts. The UK imports over € 895 million worth of plants and plant materials, mainly from the EU. Pheasey stressed the need for a UK-EU SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) or Plant Health Agreement, a key priority shared by all participants. She gave practical tips for exporters to Great Britain to speed up the border inspection process. She also mentioned ongoing efforts to address peat-free challenges in the UK, leading other European delegates to submit their sustainability concerns. The Sustainability WG, chaired by Markus Guhl, received the approval for the sustainability document, which outlines the main views of the nursery sector.
The participants were updated regarding the BeXyl research project on Xylella fastidiosa, in which ENA is a partner. The EU proposed Regulation on Plant Reproductive Material was also discussed. The General Assembly assessed the ‘Green Cities Europe’ promotion campaign 2021-2023. The participants congratulated Henning Roed, chair of the Promotion WG, for the campaign’s success, particularly the Green Cities Europe Award. It was decided to continue with the Award for the following years, and all countries with organisations that are members of ENA are welcome to participate. It was approved to hold the award ceremony in January 2025 at the International Trade Fair for Plants IPM in Essen, Germany, the world’s leading trade fair for environmental horticulture.
The delegates reported on the nursery market situation across Europe. It was noted that labour costs were increasing extensively; on the other hand, plant prices also increased in most countries while remaining stable in just a few. Dr László Orlóci, President of MDSZSZ, the Hungarian interbranch organisation, Gergely Rónai and many other professionals made various presentations about the Hungarian nursery sector –with more than 200 affiliated nurseries– the country trade show ‘HungaroGreen’, the green management, education, and research in Hungary.
The General Assembly meeting concluded with the election of the new board that will guide the ENA association for the next three years. Mr Tim Van Hulle was elected President, Mr Mateusz Milczyński, Vice President, and Mr Willy De Nolf was re-elected as Treasurer.
Tim Van Hulle, 44 years old, Master in International Business, started his career as sales manager, and in 2018 he became General Manager of Sylva nurseries after his father, Marc Van Hulle, retired. Sylva produces 25 million bare root and hedging plants on 115 ha in Lievegem, Belgium. The product range is a vast variety of forest and hedging plants of different origins, shrubs, understocks and young conifers. 85% of the turnover is exported, of which 15% goes to countries outside Europe. In 2021, the company was awarded the prestigious Flemish export award ‘the Lion of Export’ for their export achievements and growth. In 2016, Tim was appointed as president of the export nursery group of Belgium (BELBEX). In 2018 he started in ENA and has been the Vice President for the last three years. The new President said, “The coming EU legislation will be critical for the nursery business. A lot of challenges are lying ahead of us which need to be addressed as soon as possible. We count on the cooperation of all ENA members to work proactively to face and tackle the challenges, and work for the prosperity of the entire European nursery sector.”
Mateusz Milczyński is a 47-year-old Polish nurseryman. He holds a master’s degree in genetics and biotechnology which he earned after graduating from University of Agriculture in Krakow. He runs his own nursery and owns the ‘Sunny Plants’ brand, which specialises in growing plants for garden centres in central Europe. Not only is he an active member of the Polish Nurseryman Association’s management, but he also sits on the board of the Green Promotion Agency, which runs the ‘Green is Life’ trade show, the largest nurseries exhibition in Central-East Europe. Furthermore, he is involved in organising B2B markets, the most considerable plants-based market in Southern Poland.
Henk Raaijmakers is retiring as President of the European Nurserystock Association (ENA) after two decades of service. He contributed to various agricultural associations, starting with ZLTO and leading LTO-Nurseries in the Netherlands. His tenure at ENA included updating articles of association, developing working groups, and influencing EU legislation, particularly regarding plant health. Raaijmakers led ENA to partner with BeXyl for Xylella control and strengthened ENA’s presence in Brussels through direct engagement with EU institutions. A top achievement was the ‘Green Cities’ promotion campaign, funded by the EU and implemented in 13 countries, investing over 3 million euros in 2021-2023. Post-retirement, he will stay active in local agriculture and support his sons’ nursery business. “His leadership has cemented ENA’s role in European nursery’s sector advocacy”, said the elected President, Tim Van Hulle.
