{"id":1518,"date":"2021-11-17T17:35:40","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T16:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greens-efa.eu\/opinions\/?p=1518"},"modified":"2021-12-06T11:55:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T10:55:20","slug":"new-eu-deforestation-law-could-fail-to-protect-our-precious-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greens-efa.eu\/opinions\/new-eu-deforestation-law-could-fail-to-protect-our-precious-ecosystems\/","title":{"rendered":"New EU deforestation law could fail to protect our precious ecosystems – we\u2019re not out of the woods yet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The European Commission has finally published its long-awaited proposal to reduce EU-driven deforestation, after years of pressure from the Greens\/EFA and NGOs. Greens\/EFA MEPs, Marie Toussaint (FR), Heidi Hautala (FIN), Tilly Metz (LUX), Ville Niinisto (FIN), Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg (DE-FR), Rosa d\u2019Amato (IT), Anna Cavazzini (DE) and Grace O’Sullivan (IRL)<\/strong> argue that this deforestation law is an important step, but big improvements are needed if the law is to effectively end the EU\u2019s complicity in the global destruction of nature and violation of human rights.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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At last, the Commission has published its long-awaited proposal to reduce the EU\u2019s contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation. Europeans need to be sure that nothing they add to their shopping baskets will make them complicit in the destruction of natural forests<\/a>. The new deforestation law is sorely needed. The EU is responsible for 16% of tropical deforestation<\/a> linked to internationally traded commodities such as meat, palm oil or soy.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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With this new law, the European Union will oblige businesses to check, through a process called \u201cmandatory due diligence\u201d, that whatever they sell in Europe does not come from land where forests have been degraded or cleared entirely to make room for agricultural production.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Unfortunately, the final proposal from the Commission has some major gaps that would, if written into law, severely undermine its effectiveness.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Loopholes in the deforestation law: important products and ecosystems left out<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
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The European Commission wants to stick to six commodities that can pose a serious risk to forests: beef, palm oil, soy, coffee, cacao and wood. But scientists have warned<\/a> that the EU should not exclude certain commodities \u201cprematurely\u201d from its legislation. The production of rubber and maize, for example, is also known to cause deforestation. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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The Commission wants the new deforestation law to protect forests but not other valuable ecosystems like savannahs, wetlands and peatlands. It says these can be added at a later point in time.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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If these loopholes are not closed, there is a risk that the new deforestation law will trigger adverse effects<\/a>. Companies could begin clearing forests for rubber instead of cocoa, or shifting destruction from forests to nature-rich ecosystems like the Pantanal wetlands<\/a> or Cerrado savannah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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