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"Companies and Companies and NGOs oppose reopening the substance of the EU Deforestation Regulation," 16 October 2024
The Cocoa Coalition, which comprises companies and civil society and other organisations in the cocoa and chocolate sector,* has consistently supported the introduction of the EUDR.
We welcome the publication of the guidance and updated FAQ document by the European Commission on 2 October. We will study them closely, and look forward to further clarifications as soon as possible.
We note the Commission’s proposal to delay implementation by twelve months, and call for this to be adopted as speedily as possible, without amendment, in order to give companies as much certainty as possible on the revised timetable.
We strongly oppose reopening the substance of the EUDR for new negotiations, and urge policymakers to resist any such suggestion. This would serve only to impede the smooth passage of the proposal, increase uncertainty and jeopardise the significant investments our member companies have made in preparing for its application.
We also call on the Commission, member states and the corporate sector to provide appropriate support for the implementation of the EUDR for smallholder farmers and their organisations so that the costs of compliance are not passed to them and they are not excluded from the EU market due to a lack of resources...
The EU has eased reporting requirements under its anti-deforestation law by allowing companies to submit annual due diligence statements instead of for each shipment, prompting criticism from campaigners who warn it could weaken enforcement.
Finnish companies face varying levels of preparedness for EU sustainability regulations, with a key challenge including regulatory uncertainty created by the EU, a new study finds.
The EU Parliament approved a one-year delay for companies to comply with the deforestation regulation, now set to apply from December 2025 for large operators and June 2026 for small businesses.
The new guide by Forest Peoples Programme outlines how indigenous and forest peoples can use the EU Deforestation Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to address corporate-linked human rights violations and environmental harm.
The EU Parliament has sent the EUDR back to the committee for interinstitutional trilogue negotiations to grant companies an additional year for implementation.
Nestlé, Ferrero, Unilever and Mars have joined calls by other food and drink manufacturers in opposing the European Union’s delay to deforestation laws.
The Cocoa Coalition, comprising companies and civil society organizations, supports the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and urges swift adoption of the delayed implementation without reopening negotiations, while also calling for support to smallholder farmers for compliance.
Friends of the Earth Europe and 225 organizations urge the EU to reject a proposal delaying the EU Deforestation Regulation, emphasising its importance in combating deforestation and supporting human rights.
The EU's anti-deforestation regulation faces criticism for potentially allowing major deforestation contributors to avoid being classified as "high risk," which could weaken the regulation's effectiveness.
The article argues that the EU's anti-deforestation law should prioritize input from frontline communities, as governments in Malaysia and Indonesia are undermining Indigenous rights and providing unreliable forest data.
New analysis by Earthsight reveals European consumers have been buying beef and leather from firms linked to illegalities in the Brazilian Amazon uncovered by the Environmental Investigation Agency. According to Earthsight this serves as a reminder that without the EU Deforestation Regulation, European consumption will continue to drive deforestation and rights abuses overseas.
The companies consider it important that the European Union adopts a robust law that minimises the risk of conversion and degradation of natural ecosystems (alongside deforestation and the degradation of natural forests) as well as human rights violations, associated with commodities and products placed on the EU market.
A delegation of indigenous, human rights, and environmental organisations published a statement urging the European Commission to include independent civil society groups in ongoing key talks with Malaysia and Indonesia over its anti-deforestation rules.
Companies – and the EU Competent Authorities that have the responsibility of implementing the law - now have 18 months to prepare before the law comes into action, at the end of 2024.
While the law is a historic first, it fails to include strong provisions to protect the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who time and time again have proven to be the best guardians of the forests, says NGO Fern.
EU legislators reached political agreement in the early hours of Tuesday, 6 December, to pass a new law to ensure products on the EU market are not linked to the destruction or degradation of forests. WWF and Greenpeace welcome the law as breakthrough but also point to some of its weaknesses.
Negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and Council are set to finalise next week. One crucial provision of the draft law currently being targeted by certain EU member states, is the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
A delegation of MEPs will now take the Parliament's position to negotiations with the EU Member States, who agreed a range of changes in the EU Council in June to weaken key elements of the proposed law.
Measures would oblige banks to conduct due diligence to prevent the financing of deforestation, boost protections for indigenous communities, and add rubber and leather to the list of imported products that would be screened for deforestation links.
The Council adopted its negotiating position (general approach) on a proposal to limit the consumption of products contributing to deforestation or forest degradation.
Almost all plantations linked to deforestation are currently owned by just three multinational companies, which together have made deals worth billions of euros with European banks.
Indonesian civil society groups call for the EU proposal to be strengthened by including SMEs, a complaint mechanism, and by considering the impact on small holders, indigenous groups and communities
Lessons from the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation show that Member States’ Competent Authorities often fail to meaningfully implement and enforce the law in practice, argues Earthsight
Some EU member states want more time to implement the upcoming anti-deforestation law, which includes due-diligence obligations, citing concerns about the administrative burden that SMEs might face.
The undersigned organisations, welcome the European Commission’s proposal for a new EU regulation on deforestation-free products. It is now up to the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and improve the essential elements of the Commission’s proposal and deliver a strong and ambitious law.
Civil society organisations and representatives of Indigenous communities all over the world call on the EU to require businesses to respect land rights in anti-deforestation rules
Cameroonian activists rallied in front of the EU delegation in Yaoundé to demand the block to cease support for rubber linked to deforestation, and to call for an ambitious EU legislation on forest commodities
The fate of the proposals on (i) minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market and (ii) sustainable corporate governance is now unclear, raising concerns among civil society.
The organisations call on the EU to ensure that its upcoming legislative measures are effective and fully uphold their rights as set out in international law, and in line with the EU’s own commitments.
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