CSO Joint Statement for EU to Adopt a Strong Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products
EU Ministers, Commissioner and Members of The European Parliament: The world is counting on you to adopt a strong EU regulation on deforestation-free products
18 October 2022 - We, the undersigned organisations, call on you to ensure the swift adoption of a strong and ambitious EU regulation on deforestation-free products. As "trilogue negotiations" on this law begin, we ask you to support a law that lives up to the promises of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals and upholds the EU’s commitments on climate, biodiversity and human rights.
This new law offers a historic opportunity to minimise the EU’s impact on forests and other valuable ecosystems within its own borders and around the world, as well as on the countless Indigenous and local communities living in and protecting forest areas. Your choices will influence the fate of 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and shape the natural world that future generations inherit.
In 2020, over 1.2 million citizens called for a strong law. In 2022, over 100 civil society organisations from around the world called for a strong law and over 206,000 citizens called on their MEPs to deliver a strong law. Recent polls in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands confirm substantial public support for a strong new law. EU citizens do not want products driving forest and ecosystem destruction or human rights abuses in their shopping baskets. The overwhelming support for this law shows that it deserves prioritisation and swift adoption. The increasing impacts of climate change and severity of droughts, fires, storms and floods affecting Europe and countries around the world shows that there is no time to lose.
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Forest converting for oil palm plantation, while the logs were exported. Photo: Mighty Earth
Your deliberations will consider options of varying ambition. For this law to be effective, we urge you to agree a final text that includes the following best options on the table:
- A comprehensive list of commodities including, cattle, cocoa, coffee, soy, oil palm and wood, rubber, maize, sheep, goat and pig meat, poultry and the most derived products possible.
- Clear, robust and credible definitions set at EU level, including for deforestation and forest degradation, that effectively protect forests in and outside the EU.
- Immediate protection of other wooded land and a time-bound commitment to extend protection to other natural ecosystems (like savannahs, peatlands, wetlands) within one year.
- Protections for internationally-recognised human rights, particularly the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and environmental and human rights defenders, and the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
- Robust due diligence obligations for operators and large traders that require full traceability, based on geolocation, to all plots of land for all products without exceptions. Compliance should be confirmed in due diligence statements and the actions taken to comply should be detailed in periodic public reports.
- A limited role for third-party certification as complementary information that does not absolve operators or traders of their due diligence obligations, as proposed by the Commission.
- Equivalent due diligence obligations for EU-based financial institutions.
- A strong and comprehensive enforcement framework that includes mandatory minimum compliance checks as proposed by the Parliament, dissuasive and uniform penalties, and strong substantiated concern and access to justice mechanisms.
- A cut off date no later than 31 December 2019 as proposed by the Parliament.
- Measures to support vulnerable stakeholders in producing countries, in particular to empower Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, smallholders and civil society
We are all counting on you to deliver a strong, ambitious and effective law. We will be following your deliberations closely and stand ready to support you in this vital effort. Signed by 140+ civil society, smallholders’ and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations from 39 countries.
Contacts:
Hilman Afif (Auriga Nusantara): hilman@auriga.or.id
Together4Forest: info@together4forests.com
Signatories:
- A ROCHA - Associação Cristã de Estudo e Defesa do Ambiente
- Advocates for Public Interest Law
- Amazon Watch
- Appui pour la Protection de l'Environnement et le Développement (APED)
- ARA (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Regenwald und Artenschutz)
- Auriga Nusantara
- Australian Forests and Climate Alliance (AFCA)
- Avaaz
- Bank Information Center
- BankTrack
- Biodiversity Conservation Center
- Blue Dalian
- Boreal Action
- BOS+
- Bosque Joven
- Both ENDS
- Brainforest
- Brighter Green
- Cabinet Essono Ondo pour le Social et l'Environnement (CEO-SE)
- Canopée
- Canopy
- ClientEarth Climate Action Network Europe
- CNCD-11.11.11
- Colectivo VientoSur Comité Schone Lucht
- Commission Justice & Paix
- Compassion in World Farming
- Conservation International Europe
- COORDINADORA ESTATAL DE COMERCIO JUSTO
- Corporate Europe Observatory
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe e. V.
- Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR)
- DIB
- DKA Austria
- Docip
- DOF BirdLife Danmark
- Donau Soja Association
- Earthbilt
- Ecologistas en Acción
- Ecosia Ekumenická akademie
- Environment East Gippsland inc
- Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
- Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria
- Envol Vert
- Eurogroup for Animals
- European Vegetarian Union
- Fairwatch
- Federación de Consumidores y Usuarios CECU
- Feedback EU
- Feedback Global
- Focus Association for Sustainable Development
- Forest Peoples Programme
- Forests of the World
- Forêts et Développement Rural (FODER)
- Fórum Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Animal
- Forum Ökologie & Papier
- Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Friends of the Earth Europe
- Gemeinwohlstiftung COMÚN / Initiative Lieferkettengesetz Österreich
- GEOTA-Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente
- Germanwatch e.V.
- GLOBAL 2000
- Global Forest Coalition
- Global Nature Fund
- Global Witness
- Global Youth Biodiversity Network Europe (GYBN Europe)
- Green Development Advocates
- Green Impact
- Greenpeace European Unit
- HUTAN Group
- IDEF
- Inades-Formation Côte d'Ivoire
- Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
- Instituto Jane Goodall España
- Instituto Sociedade, População e Natureza
- Jane Goodall Institute Austria
- Jane Goodall Institute Belgium
- Jane Goodall Institute France
- Japan Tropical Forest Action Network
- Landelijk Netwerk Bossen- en Bomenbescherming
- Leefmilieu
- Lipu - BirdLife Italy
- Mai bine
- Mighty Earth
- Milieudefensie - Friends of the Earth Netherlands
- Milieufront Omer Wattez vzw
- Mobilisation for the Environment
- Mouvement Ecologique asbl.
- NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) e.V.
- Nature Nova Scotia
- Naturefriends Greece
- Natuurpunt
- Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) Asia
- Nyt Europa
- Observatoire de la Gouvernance Forestière OGF
- Observatório do Clima (Brazilian Climate Observatory)
- Oil Palm Smallholders Union/ Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS)
- OroVerde
- Polski Klub Ekologiczny
- Pro REGENWALD
- Profundo
- Quercus - Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza
- Rainforest Action Network
- Rainforest Foundation Norway
- Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific
- Reseau des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Développement du Tonkpi (ROSCIDET)
- Rikolto België vzw
- ROBIN WOOD e. V.
- SATYA BUMI
- SEO/BirdLife
- Society for threatened peoples Switzerland
- Socio-ecological union International
- Solsoc
- Solutions for Our Climate
- Stand.earth
- Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot
- Südwind
- SumOfUs
- Sustainable Development Institute (SDI)
- Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
- Synaparcam
- The Wilderness Society
- Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group
- Umanotera, The Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development
- Veblen Institute
- Vision Building Future Pakistan
- Voedselteams vzw
- Vogelbescherming Nederland
- WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia)
- Welthaus Diözese Graz-Seckau
- WeMove Europe
- Wetlands International European Association
- Working group Food Justice
- World Animal Protection
- World Animal Protection Netherlands
- WWF European Policy Office (EPO)
- Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat
- ZERO - Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável
- PowerShift e.V.