The European Parliament negotiators, led by Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourger), the Czech Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission held their first negotiating session on Tuesday 27 September on the proposed EU regulation which aims to minimise the risk of global deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market.
This first ‘trilogue’ allowed each of the institutions to present their position on this legislation, to be presented in November 2021 by the European Commission, to enable the EU to assume its responsibility by introducing due diligence along the supply chain of six commodities (palm oil, beef, timber, coffee, cocoa and soy), to start with.
The need for such a regulation “to protect valuable ecosystems”, as the Czech Presidency stressed on Monday, is not in doubt for the negotiators.
The European Parliament is at the origin of this proposal for a regulation, having adopted an own-initiative report in October 2020 calling for a legally binding framework (see EUROPE 12586/2). In voting on the Commission’s proposal on 13 September, it significantly strengthened the text by extending the scope to other products, such as rubber, pigmeat, sheep and goats, poultry, maize, charcoal and printed paper products, and by strengthening the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights (see EUROPE 13020/3).
The Council, which adopted its position in June 2022, has also worked to take better account of these populations, but has stuck to the original six commodities, adding only derivatives. It further clarified the definition of ‘forest degradation’ (see EUROPE 12981/9, 12978/21).
At this stage, negotiators agreed to work at the technical level to make progress on the less contentious issues. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)