WIREDGOV

MEPs call on the Commission to put forward rules to stop EU-driven global deforestation through mandatory due diligence for companies placing products on the EU market.

• EU consumption represents around 10 % of global deforestation
• Voluntary initiatives have failed to halt deforestation
• Traceability obligations for traders on the EU market should be set-up
• Since 1990, forests covering an area larger than South Africa have been lost

Currently, there is no EU legislation prohibiting products that contribute to the destruction of forests from being placed on the European market and consumers do not know whether or not the products they buy contribute to deforestation.

Therefore, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee recently adopted a report with 45 votes to 11 and 25 abstentions calling on the Commission to present an EU legal framework to halt and reverse EU-driven global deforestation. This is the first time the committee will make use of the possibility in the Treaty for Parliament to ask the Commission to come forward with binding legislation.

Mandatory measures needed to halt deforestation

MEPs say that voluntary initiatives, third-party certification and labels have so far failed to halt deforestation worldwide.

They therefore call for a new EU legal framework based on mandatory due diligence, reporting, disclosure and third party participation requirements. Penalties should be introduced for companies that place products on the EU market derived from commodities that endanger forests and ecosystems. All operators on the EU market must ensure that their products can be traced to be able to identify their origin and ensure the rules are enforced.

The report refers to several studies showing that prohibiting the entry into the EU of products linked to deforestation will have no impact on volume and price and that any extra costs incurred by operators would be minimal. It would also benefit businesses, as it would level the playing field by holding competitors to the same standards.

MEPs state that such an EU legal framework should also be extended to include high-carbon stock and biodiversity-rich ecosystems other than forests, such as marine and coastal ecosystems, wetlands, peatlands or savannahs, to avoid pressure being shifted onto these landscapes. The Commission should also provide binding definitions of what constitutes deforestation and forest degradation.

Members finally underlined how EU trade and investment policy should include binding and enforceable sustainable development chapters that fully respect international commitments.

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