The agreement made on Tuesday covers palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber as well as its derived products
The European Union has announced that the representatives of the Council and Parliament on Tuesday, November 6, agree to no longer allow the sale and import of products contributing to deforestation.
According to a report by Euronews, under the provisional deal agreed by EU legislators, “Companies will now have to carry and issue a due diligence statement that these goods placed in the EU market have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world after 31 December 2020”.
The list of products includes palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber. Aside from this, their derived products such as beef, furniture, chocolate, printed paper and selected palm oil-based derivates, the report states, have also beeen banned.
Marian Jurečka, Czech minister of the environment and the person responsible for leading the negotiations for the council said in a statement, “The new rules aim to ensure that when consumers buy these products, they don’t contribute to further degrading forest ecosystems”. She further added, “Protecting the environment around the world, including forests and rainforests, is a common goal for all countries and the EU is ready to take its responsibility”.
An estimate by the World Wildlife Fund states that 27 countries in the EU are responsible for the second biggest import causing deforestation after China.
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