NGO letter: President von der Leyen, uphold the EU Deforestation Law!
11 April 2024
In a joint letter, over 170 organisations have written to the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stand by the landmark EU Deforestation Law. Following the calls of some industry groups and national governments to backtrack on the legislation, we call on President von der Leyen to deliver on her promise that Europe will lead global action on tackling deforestation by switfly implementing the EU Deforestation Law.
You can read the letter here.
EU Member States: Your obligations to implement the law start today
29 June 2023
The EU Deforestation Regulation enters into force today. This ground-breaking law has the potential to tackle global deforestation and forest degradation driven by EU consumption. However, this can only be achieved if the law is implemented and enforced properly, thoroughly and consistently. Over 150 civil society organisations are urging all EU Member States to deliver on their legal obligations and keep deforestation off the market.
You can read the letter to EU Member States in English here. You can also read the statement in Spanish, German, French, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Dutch, Portuguese, and Polish.
EU reaches deal on a strong deforestation law - a world first
6 December 2022
The EU will no longer allow products that are linked to the destruction of forests onto the EU market. In the early hours of 6 December, EU decision-makers concluded negotiations for an EU deforestation law, reaching a historic agreement. While the deal is not perfect, this regulation is the first in the world to tackle global deforestation, and it will tremendously reduce the EU’s footprint on nature. This outcome is a significant win of the #Together4Forests campaign, which has brought together more than 220 NGOs to fight for a strong EU law against deforestation over the last two years.
Artists call on EU leaders to support an ambitious law that protects forests and the right of Indigenous Peoples
22 November 2022
As negotiators meet to finalise a text for the EU deforestation law, over 140 prominent musicians, artists, directors, actors and activists call on European Union decision-makers to adopt a bold and ambitious new law that protects the world's remaining forests and respects the rights of the Indigenous and local communities who defend them. Following the launch of the open letter on 22 November, with Barbra Streisand, Coldplay, Sting and Jason Momoa among the signatories, many more artists and activists, including Emma Watson, Sienna Miller, Gillian Anderson and Jeremy Strong signed the letter to urge the European Commission, the Council and European Parliament to seize this opportunity for action and to guide the world towards a deforestation-free future.
You can read the open letter to EU leaders here.
140+ NGOs urge EU institutions to give teeth to EU deforestation law
18 October 2022
The trilogue negotiations for an EU deforestation law, where the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament sit together to agree on a final text, have just kicked off. Expected to be adopted by the end of this year, this law has the potential to determine the future of forests and other valuable natural ecosystems in Europe and in the rest of the world, as well as the future wellbeing of countless Indigenous and local communities defending and living in dependence on them. In a statement, more than 140 NGOs from the ever-growing #Together4Forests movement urge the EU decision-makers to raise their ambition for an effective EU deforestation law.
You can read the statement in English here. You can also read the statement in Spanish, German, French, Romanian, Bulgarian, Danish, Czech, Greek, Estonian, Finish, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, and Bahasa.
Position statement from Civil Society
3 February 2022
Over 100 civil society organisations from Europe and beyond are calling on the European Parliament and EU Member States to close the loopholes in the proposed European Commission’s regulation to tackle EU-driven global deforestation. The CSO statement, supported by environmental, climate and human rights organisations, outlines key policy asks that must be addressed and included in the proposed law to ensure that the EU regulation is truly fit for purpose and meets the EU’s climate and biodiversity targets as well as the high expectations of EU citizens.
Read the statement in English here, also available in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch and Polish.
Citizens urge ministers to stop deforestation
2 February 2022
Activists in 14 countries across the EU have held protests over the past week highlighting the alarming rate at which the world is losing forests, and demanding that their ministers improve the upcoming EU anti-deforestation law. The #Together4Forests coalition of environmental and human rights organisations behind the protests is also launching a big email action where citizens can write to their ministers to urge them to support strong EU legislation.
EU deforestation law cannot afford to lower level of ambition
10 November 2021
With just a week to go before the European Commission presents its legislative proposal, 56 NGOs from the #Together4Forests campaign are urging the Commission to not water down key elements of the future law. In a letter addressed to Commissioners Frans Timmermans and Virginijus Sinkevičius, the signatories indicate that if key elements of the text are weakened it will “drastically impair the EU’s potential to achieve its objectives and fight climate change and biodiversity loss”.
Over the last months, various organisations have given a series of recommendations to the Commission on the key elements needed for ambitious and effective legislation. These include, among others: a) the protection of ecosystems other than forests and of internationally recognised human rights, b) the inclusion of provisions on finance, c) the comprehensive definition of the product scope, and, d) the need to avoid exemptions to the due diligence for goods originating from supposedly “low risk” countries.
Read the letter here.
What should a new legislation to address EU-driven deforestation look like?
7 May 2021
Client Earth, Conservation International EU, Fern, Environmental Investigation Agency, Global Witness, Greenpeace, Wilderness Conservation Society, Greenpeace and WWF are calling on the EU to ensure commodities and products placed on the EU market are sustainable and not linked to the destruction or degradation of natural forests or other natural ecosystems, nor to human rights’ violations.
Read the NGO briefing here: NGO recommendations- EU Regulation to address forest and human rights impacts.pdf
Handover event
The one million+ submissions to the EU’s public consultation on deforestation were handed over to the European Commission on Monday 14 December in an online event. The signatures were received by Commissioner Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the EU Commission, and Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.
You can watch the recording of the event here.
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