MEPs debate on a new law obliging companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world. The new regulation, already agreed with the EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Opening statements by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur, Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), ITRE Committee; Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), INTA Committee, Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), DEVE; Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI) AGRI Committee.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

SARVAMAA, Petri (EPP, FI)

HANSEN, Christophe (EPP, LU)

KARLSBRO, Karin (Renew, SE)

BENTELE, Hildegard (EPP, DE)

CAVAZZINI, Anna (Greens/EFA, DE)

KYRIAKIDES, Stella (CY, EC)

forest protection (T)

Fit for 55 (T)

Deforestation Regulation: opening statement by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur, Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), Stella KYRIAKIDES, EU Commissioner for Health, Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI)

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Thank you very much, President Commissioner. 10 million hectares, we're talking about the equivalent of Portugal. We're talking the amount we're losing in forests every year. We're using this to grow food instead and no consideration is taken of the flora, the fauna or the indigenous people who have been living for all this time in close connection with nature.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), There are 1.2 million people in the EU, those are the citizens who want to see an improvement to the forestation legislation in the EU. This is absolutely necessary, ladies and gentlemen, even if that have, perhaps, more difficulties for administration, for those smallholders, those involved in forestry.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), If we look at these possible changes in forestry, they have often led to disappointment. In Brazil, for example, in March 2023, we saw a 14% increase unfortunately, compared to the previous year. So, there is a real need to act here. This deforestation regulation says stop, stop growing soy, cacao, cocoa grazing, cattle, rubber, palm derivatives as well.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), The important work is beginning now, and this is where the Commission needs to act. We need to have traceability and geolocalisation of these parcels of land. And here, the Commission needs to work with forest partnerships to work with these very smallest farmers to ensure that this is all in play. Also, producers in Europe need certainty. There needs to be certainty, for example, that the beef can still be sold.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), So with the vote on Wednesday, we will have reached a milestone in our fight against climate change and protecting biodiversity. This legislation will help to deepen trade relations with other countries who share our environmental ambitions. We hope a lot of countries will follow in our footsteps, following today's decision and we hope this will be a real turning point. The world is looking towards us now.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), I would also like to thank my co-rapporteur for the excellent cooperation and the whole team working together with Commission to think of issues as well. I think we have the opportunity to take a real step forward today, and I hope other countries, such as the US will also choose to take this path. I think only in this way when we have a proper global trend can we make a change. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (Swedish), Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), President, Commissioner, colleagues and listeners, the European Union is the best environmental organisation in the world. This is the biggest piece of legislation in the world regarding import and export and fighting deforestation. And by adopting this legislation, we are strengthening our role.

SOUNDBITE (Swedish), Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), The single market has power and it means that we have leverage as an European Union. Our trade policy is in fact one of those most important levers to influence other countries to protect the forests of the world rather than felling these trees. Those who can prove that they haven't actually contributed to deforestation or to forest degradation, all those people are welcome on our market. That is a way for us to guarantee the consistency of the system.

SOUNDBITE (Swedish), Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), We are here responding to demonstrations from around Europe, citizens who are up in arms because of what's happening in our rainforests. It is possible to protect the lungs of this world. It is possible to contribute to biodiversity and that is green liberalism. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (German), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), Thank you. Our forests are at the brink of an abyss. And for years, the EU was a major driver of imports and deforestation. And this regulation on deforestation-free supply chains is a game changer. We make sure that products like soy or beef placed on the EU single market will not anymore fuel disastrous deforestation elsewhere.

SOUNDBITE (German), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), And this is not only good for global biodiversity, but also for the European consumers who can be sure to buy deforestation free products in the future. Especially in Brazil under former President Bolsonaro, deforestation rates skyrocketed. And this endangered the livelihood of so many indigenous people. This new law is benefiting not only biodiversity, but also people and their rights.

SOUNDBITE (German), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), It is a lot to reach our common global goals like stopping climate change and biodiversity loss. But let me be clear, the regulation on deforestation-free supply chains cannot be an excuse for agreeing on a bad Mercosur deal. We need additional robust safeguards for human rights and against deforestation instead of the currently proposed toothless instrument. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mr. President, Honourable Members, good afternoon. First of all, I would like to thank the European Parliament for all the work that you have put into the regulation that you will be adopting on Wednesday. I want to particularly thank the Rapporteur, Mr. Hansen, the ENVI Chair, Mr. Canfin  , and all the shadow Rapporteurs for the very constructive and very positive role that you have played throughout the legislative procedure.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, I'm particularly happy with this new regulation because we could also follow up to the EP's legislative initiative resolution to halt and reverse global deforestation, for which Mrs. Burkhardt has prepared an important ground and which to a large extent inspired the Commission proposal.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, The outcome of the trialogues on December 6th is a law we can all be proud of. It is a pioneering regulation and I am convinced it will make a decisive contribution to tackling global deforestation and forest degradation. That also makes it an important tool to help us reach the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement on Climate as well.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, The new rules will demonstrate that the EU is ready to take the lead in the global struggle against climate change and biodiversity loss. This sends a powerful signal to other major economies, underlining the urgent need for strong legislative action against deforestation and showing how it can be achieved.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, The agreed text of the regulation reflects the core features of the Commission proposal, such as tackling deforestation regardless of whether it is legal or illegal in the country of production. The due diligence statement to be submitted by operators strict traceability requirements and the benchmarking system. The agreed text also includes many of the improvements requested by this House.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, I am thinking particularly of the inclusion of rubber and palm oil derivatives in the scope of the higher level of inspections to be performed by Member States authorities, more ambition on the definition of forest and gradation and the greater emphasis on the links to human rights and to the role of indigenous peoples.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Wednesday's vote is one more step along this long road. The timeline ahead is extremely challenging. We still need to put into place the infrastructure needed to implement and enforce this new regulation. We must ensure that it becomes a success on the ground, inspiring others to follow.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, I counting am on you to continue to spread the word about the urgent need to tackle deforestation and forest degradation. And I am very grateful to everyone here who has contributed and supported the efforts to stop deforestation. We are working against the clock as it is, and I want to make sure that you know that your calls for action were worth it, and that continued support is critical. Thank you.

Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), Ladies and gentlemen, with this deforestation regulation, which also applies to supply chains, we are pioneers here. We can guarantee consumers that beef, the soy, the palm oil, the cocoa, the coffee, whether it's all processed, it won't be coming from areas that have been deforested. So that's real progress.

Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), But we're going even further than that, we want to ensure that the places of origin for these products also have strong rules and legislation. So, we will have that transparency, traceability built in. And we hope that the Commission who have ranked these countries low, medium and high risk won't have created too many enemies with regards to the marketing of these products.

Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), We also need to look at the implementation of these products and have close contact with the affected countries and the farmers themselves. It is important that we have these types of supply chains worldwide. It is a huge amount of work ahead of us. I think it's a bit idealistic to think we can do this in one year, but I hope this will be successful even despite the pandemic. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI), President, Dear Commission Member, European Parliament Members, this deforestation regulation is very ambitious, indeed, and its objectives are very good. I have only one and a half minutes. And therefore, I'd like to focus on only one thing, and I'm afraid I'm a bit negative on this matter.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI), One Member State in the European Union has asked its Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to put all investments on hold, that was aimed at cattle farmers. All investments should be put on hold because Article 9 is so unclear in that one single Member State, that we don't know in that Member State whether any investments or any buildings can be built on farms in this sector in the next few years.

SOUNDBITE (Finnish), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI), This is an unbearable situation from cattle farmers perspective, cattle farmers in my country need clear information and clear rules. So, I sincerely hope, Dear Commissioner Kyriakides, that you deal with this matter in the Commission as soon as possible so that we have some clarity and this applies to other Member States than Finland as well.