To enable the EU to fight global deforestation more effectively, on Tuesday 23 July the European Commission presented a new framework for action addressing both the supply and demand of a depleting resource and potentially paving the way for legislative measures.
The objective is twofold: to protect existing forest cover, particularly primary forest cover, and to increase global forest cover, in the interests of the livelihoods of a quarter of the world's population, biodiversity and the fight against climate change.
"The EU accounts for 10% of final consumption of products associated with deforestation", stressed Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the Commission. He said he was "sure that the fight against deforestation will be in the European Green Deal" promised by the future President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, within 100 days.
It will be a question of acting on European demand to reduce the carbon footprint by ensuring that products imported into the EU come from countries that do not destroy the forest. The Commission recognises that legislation could be useful to break the link between deforestation and European consumption, particularly in the case of commodities such as soya, palm oil, beef, coffee and cocoa. "We will launch the preparatory work that can lead to legislation. But we will not succeed on our own", Mr Timmermans said. Hence the approach based on partnership with all the countries concerned.
The action plan is structured around five priorities: - reduce the footprint of EU consumption on land and encourage the consumption of products from supply chains that are free of deforestation in the EU; - work in partnership with producer countries to reduce pressure on forests and ensure that EU development cooperation is 'deforestation-proof'; - strengthen international cooperation to halt deforestation and forest degradation and encourage forest restoration; redirect and channel public and private funding to support more sustainable land use practices; - support the availability, quality and access to information on forests and commodity supply chains and support research and innovation.
The Commission announces the launch of a "multi-stakeholder platform on deforestation, forest degradation and forest generation" to examine new actions to reduce EU consumption and encourage the use of products from deforestation-free supply chains and the establishment of a global deforestation observatory as a real knowledge pool.
Questions on the trade agreement with Mercosur. The Commission is ready to consider standards for product certification, "which will have an impact on trade", said Commissioner Jyrki Katainen. Asked about the coherence between this framework for action and the EU/Mercosur trade agreement, he assured that "there will be no compromise on our part".
Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä stressed on Monday 22 July to MEPs of the European Parliament Environment Committee the importance of "ensuring that the principles of sustainable development enshrined in the agreement are respected". Sceptical, Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA, France) replied: "the sustainable development chapter does not solve anything. There are no sanctions. There is not a single trade agreement concluded by the EU in which this chapter has been implemented. In Brazil, deforestation has accelerated with Bolsonaro".
Christiane Schaldemose (S&D, Denmark) asked whether the Minister was in favour of binding legislation on the agricultural and forestry supply chain. He did not reply, but said that the Finnish Presidency "wants progress to make the EU's trading partners more virtuous".
NGOs want legislative measures. The action plan recognises Europe's responsibility for global deforestation, but "access to new markets for a handful of multinationals cannot outweigh the ecological, climatic and human cost of trade agreements such as the EU-Mercosur agreement", stresses Greenpeace. The NGO calls on the next Commission to legislate urgently. "We desperately need new laws that force companies to demonstrate that the products they put on the European market are not tainted by deforestation or human rights violations", adds the NGO Fern. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)