On Thursday 26 September, the Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Enrique Reina García, whose country holds the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), conveyed to the European Union CELAC’s request to “postpone indefinitely the entry into force” of the EU Deforestation Regulation aimed at combating deforestation in products imported from third countries (see other news and EUROPE 13490/8).
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Reina highlighted the “negative impact” of this contested EU legislation, which is due to come into force by the end of the year and is proving “unattainable” for the majority of Latin American producers. He pointed out that in Latin America, where 60% of the world’s coffee is produced, 2.6 million families will be affected.
The Honduran minister expressed the willingness of Latin American and Caribbean countries to cooperate with the European Commission to put in place “mechanisms” to achieve the objective of reducing deforestation, while taking account of local capacities and national legislation.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, admitted that the European Commission had to be “very careful” in implementing European standards to limit the negative effects on third countries.
Summit 2025. Mr Borrell noted the symbolic nature of holding this meeting, a few days after the adoption of the ‘Pact for the Future’ by the United Nations General Assembly (see EUROPE 13488/19). He reiterated the close ties between the countries of the EU/CELAC regional area, which account for a third of UN members, on respect for fundamental values such as human rights and the rule of law, and on the handling of international issues such as the fight against climate change or the promotion of regionalism.
The participants took note of the updated roadmap which will take the partner countries through to the next EU/CELAC summit, to be held next year in Colombia. Between now and then, the foreign ministers of the EU/CELAC countries will meet in Brussels in spring 2025.
To see the updated roadmap: https://aeur.eu/f/dmc (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)