The European Parliament paved the way on Wednesday 19 April in Strasbourg for the adoption of the pioneering EU regulation that will significantly reduce the EU’s contribution to global deforestation, especially of irreplaceable tropical forests.
By 552 votes to 44 with 43 abstentions, MEPs endorsed the political agreement reached with the EU Council on 6 December 2022 on the legislation which will require companies to prove that their products have not contributed to the degradation or destruction of forests around the world in order to sell them in the EU or export them from the EU (see EUROPE 13078/9). The debate at the opening of the plenary session augured this outcome (see EUROPE 13163/9).
Reasonable due diligence will be mandatory throughout the supply chain and will initially apply to palm oil, beef, timber, coffee, cocoa, soya, rubber (including tires) and by-products such as chocolate, furniture, printed paper, charcoal and some palm oil derivatives.
Stronger controls, penalties for offenders and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples are among the other strong points of this legislation, whose approval was welcomed by rapporteur Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourger).
In October 2020, the European Parliament had already called for binding legislation (see EUROPE 12573/9). The Council is due to adopt the regulation, probably at the end of April. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)