As of April 1, 2021, Dr. Stefan Dreesmann has taken over the project leadership of the COA project. Thanks to his professional background and many years of experience in organic legislation and the promotion of the organic sector, he will in the future support the Ukrainian project partners in the implementation of the organic law with his great know-how.

Dr. Dreesmann studied agricultural sciences at the University of Giessen and subsequently earned his doctorate in organic agriculture in Bonn. Due to his professional engagements as an advisor at the district government of Hanover, the Ministry of Environment of Lower Saxony and since 2002 at the Ministry of Agriculture of Lower Saxony, he is very familiar with the development and implementation of the organic legislation and with the governmental tasks in the context of the surveillance of the Organic EU-Regulation and has played a major role in shaping it. Another focus of his work has been the development and implementation of numerous support measures to strengthen organic farming at all stages of the production chain. Since 2018, he has headed the unit 'Nutrient Management, Fertilization, Agri-environmental Policy, Organic Farming'` at the Ministry of Agriculture of Lower Saxony.

Through his numerous assignments in international projects in Eastern Europe and especially in Ukraine, he has been able to closely follow the development of organic agriculture in this region and contribute with his knowledge. In recent years, he has also traveled to Ukraine several times during his vacations by bus, train and car and thus gained an impression of the country. The positive experiences as a short-term expert in Ukraine and during the trips have encouraged him to take up the position as project leader.