21. Implementing the EU legislation on deforestation: the way forward

On 17 November 2021, the EU published a legislative proposal for a Regulation on deforestation-free products. The proposal aims at reducing deforestation through conversion to agricultural use by establishing new rules for commodities linked to a high risk of deforestation, such as soy, beef, palm oil or coffee and some derived products.

Before placing these products on the EU market or exporting them from the EU, operators and traders would face new obligations: The new rules impose comprehensive, effective, and continuous due diligence to prove that products are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation and ask operators to disclose information about their supply chains and report on their measures to avoid deforestation, including strict traceability requirements for these commodities.

This ambitious proposal has polarized the debate in the past months between the need to fulfill the Green-Deal laudable ambitions and the operational reality of enforcing rules and tracing products across the Globe. Now that the Parliament has adopted its final report, negotiation with the EU Commission and the Council of the EU will start.

In the true open and forward-looking spirit of the EFF events and with the intention of promoting a pragmatic take on the upcoming debate, this EFF event will look at some of specific topics, such as traceability, the scope of the regulation, and the specific controls that are to be applied by Member States and explore their implications from an operational and implementation perspective. A group of experts from companies and Civil Society will review the way the regulation will play out for different commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil and soy. Representatives from key Member States will then discuss the specific aspects of implementing and enforcing the new rules.

Both Commission Officials and relevant MEPs will frame and comment the debate.