The proposal for a regulation on the placing on the market of certain products associated with deforestation was criticised quite heavily on Monday 21 February by the EU agriculture ministers (see EUROPE 12834/1).
Most delegations however welcomed the ambition of the proposed new regulation, which will have to define effective rules to combat imported deforestation, French minister Julien Denormandie noted. The President-in-Office of the Agriculture Council acknowledged, however, that “many delegations” had questions about the scope and the list of products proposed. Several ministers have raised the impact of the text on national forestry policies and asked that the rules avoid a disproportionate administrative burden on countries and operators, Denormandie acknowledged.
Austria, for example, has asked for the principle of proportionality to be respected. Sweden referred to the need to avoid an excessive administrative burden and was critical, as were Italy and Finland, of some of the definitions in the proposal, in particular the notion of ‘degradation’ of forests.
Portugal, Austria, Estonia and Malta, among others, have warned of the risk of supply disruptions for certain products, such as soya for animal feed.
Belgium asked for an estimate of the costs of the text for all parties involved. Measures must be proportionate, the Spanish delegation also stressed.
Several countries, such as Sweden and Germany, have drawn attention to the need to respect World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Scope. Finland requested extension of the scope to savannah and grassland. But it felt that, in general, there were major problems with the text at national level.
Italy and the Netherlands asked to add wetlands and rubber to the product coverage. Luxembourg requested the inclusion of beef preparations and rubber.
The agriculture sector is the driving force behind deforestation worldwide, the Dutch minister noted. “Deforestation and forest degradation must be stopped”, he said, calling for a rapid adoption of the regulation.
The negotiations in the EU Council are being steered by the Environment Council, which will discuss them on 17 March. But the Agriculture Ministers want to have their say on this issue.
The French Presidency of the Council expects the Member States to reach political agreement on the legislative proposal by the end of June. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)