The overwhelming majority of the European Parliament is in favour of a legal framework imposing mandatory rules for duty of care to fight deforestation caused by products imported into the EU, be it cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil or beef.
The debate MEPs held on Wednesday 21 October ahead of the vote due to start in the evening and the final vote scheduled for Thursday on the legislative initiative report by Delara Burkhardt (S&D, Germany) left no doubt about the outcome (see EUROPE 12573/9).
All stressed the importance of forests in fighting climate change and preserving biodiversity and the need to prevent human rights violations related to deforestation.
“No one in Europe should buy in a supermarket without being able to make a decision based on reliable information about whether or not a forest product has been produced in a sustainable way”, Ms Burkhardt said, pointing out that the EU contributes to 10% of global deforestation and that voluntary labels have failed to stop deforestation.
“When an entrepreneur wants to put a product on the EU market, they have to prove that the entire production chain is free of products or services linked to deforestation or the destruction of other valuable ecosystem components”.
This is the major demand of the report, which implies the civil liability of European companies - unacceptable to the ID Group, which fears that “NGOs attack sovereign states”.
“The aim is to put pressure on the Commission to make an ambitious proposal. Ursula von der Leyen assured that she would take the Parliament's proposals seriously; this is an opportunity to prove it”, she stressed, calling for “a strong EU position for nature protection, against deforestation”, which does not leave a bitter taste in the chocolate or coffee we consume.
From the GUE/NGL to the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and the Greens/EFA (the latter reintroduced their initial amendments on the recognition of the crime of ecocide and on free trade agreements), she was congratulated on her report as well as by the Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius.
He confirmed that the Commission will present a proposal in the first quarter of 2021 “on a complex issue“, but claimed that the report goes beyond the Commission’s legislative work. This proposal will contain “strong measures, consistent with WTO obligations”, he said.
“If it is ambitious enough, we will support you”, assured Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, France).
Hildegard Bentele (EPP, Germany), speaking on behalf of the Committee on International Trade, said the whole production chain must be traceable and the focus should be on sustainable trade with the involvement of business and society
“In the Amazon, more than 300 people have been killed in the past decade over land expropriation issues. This is unacceptable”, stressed Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sweden).
Martin Haüsling (Greens/EFA, Germany) said the report was “a big step”, while stressing that “free trade agreements like Mercosur call for a different approach”.
MEPs of the ECR Group are sceptical. Like Mazaly Aguilar, they fear that deforestation will be used “to encourage the transition to a vegan paradise” and noted that soy is essential to feed livestock.
“The EU is part of the problem. I hope the report will not be amended by those who think the problem will solve itself or shift all the responsibility to the consumer”, said Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic).
Teuvo Hakkarainen (ID, Finland) deplored the fact that deforestation is still increasing “despite the billions in humanitarian aid” disbursed by the EU. “There is a policy of fighting deforestation and increasing wooded areas in Finland. It could be applied in developing countries”, he said. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)