Press conference by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), rapporteur on the new regulation to stop EU-driven global deforestation. The new law obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world.The new regulation, already agreed with 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. Before such products can be placed on the EU market, companies must verify and issue a so-called “due diligence” statement that the products have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Strasbourg

plenary session

press conference

fight against climate change (T)

HANSEN, Christophe (EPP, LU)

forest protection (T)

Fit for 55 (T)

Press conference by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), rapporteur on the new regulation to stop EU-driven global deforestation

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Yes, thank you very much and thank you as well for joining this press conference. As it has just been said, we had a very strong majority in the vote in plenary for this new regulation, 522 votes in favour, some 40 against and some 40 abstentions. So, this is a very strong result. I have to say it's even better than I expected because I feared that there would be some last minute people that would eventually not like what is on the table now.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), But, I think the urgency of the matter demonstrates how important it is. And we lose every year around 10 million hectares of forests. This is a huge amount, this size is as big as Portugal, the size of Portugal. And what we have lost in the last 30 years is even as big as the entire European Union. So, this has to be clear and we don't want to be complicit anymore in this global deforestation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), That is happening a little bit in Europe, but as well, and first and foremost, in other parts in the world. A lot of those products are now in under the scope of this regulation. And I think you have the details of the products, but I can briefly remind you, so we have wood, we have soy, we have cocoa, we have coffee, we have palm oil and we added as well, now the rubber to the scope, and we extend it as well to a certain derivate of those products.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), For example, palm oil rates that you could find in cosmetics or other transform products, there were a lot of them, missing actually in the annexe by the Commission. So, we made them at those, we have as well added charcoal, we have as well added printed paper because, in the end, this is wood transform somewhere else. It wouldn't make sense just to say the wood, no. But the transformed product, yes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), So, we enlarged their substantially the scope. Now, in the regulation we foresee as well, we view clauses of this because the Parliament initial position wanted to have the other wooded lands, which would include zones in the world like the Cerrado in Brazil, and we wanted them to be included as well in this regulation, even though there is not in FAO, a definition of wooded land.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Nonetheless, we have now invited the Commission to come up within one year with a review clause for this territorial scope; a second review after two years, where we could as well extend the scope for products and adapt if needed, certain parameters; and then a third review after five years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), I think the most tricky part is, of course, and that is for those that are very reluctant to go ahead this, comes with a certain administrative burden, we have to say, because the new element is a geo location. So, you need to attract back the product that you have to the field where it has been produced. And this comes with a challenge because often those products are collected in a cooperative and then, transported to a huge trader that then ships the products in a huge transatlantic ship.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), And then of course the tracking is difficult, but I think it's not impossible. Because soy, for example, is under the scope. But we manage already today, for example, to ship a GMO-free soy apart. So, there is a precedent how it can work. And I think we can find good solutions. And then, another big challenge is, of course, we need to make it possible for every producer to comply with this regulation as well. And that's why we have as well pushed the Commission that they need to set up a system where we can help smallholders, for example.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), So, small holders in the cocoa sector, for example, 80% of the producers are smallholders, that just have a few acres to produce, we need to give them as well the financial and technical assistance to be able to cope with the requirements by this new legal instrument. Otherwise, what would they do? Well, probably to deliver to somebody that is not having the same expectations as us. So we need to help the small holders to participate in that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), And I think that's the key points but, you are probably right as well, the different fights and the elements. So, I'm at your disposal now for questions and I can as well answer in several of the languages. So if you prefer to French, English, German and Spanish would work eventually as well. So, the questions up to you.

Q&A, Question regarding the differences between the initial Commission proposal and the current proposal.

Q&A, Question on a possible deadlock in trade negotiations. Second question regarding the possibility of extending regulation to more products.

Q&A, Question regarding the scope of the regulation and the response they have had from producer countries. Second question on extending the regulation to other zones.

Q&A, Question regarding the mechanism of control of the regulation for producers.

Q&A, Question regarding how GMO could be an example of trying to implement this legislation.