The S&D Group welcomes the outcome of today’s plenary vote, which paves the way for banning products linked to deforestation from accessing the European market.

The S&D shadow rapporteur, Delara Burkhardt, said:

“The fight against deforestation worldwide is at a turning point. The European Parliament gave its green light to the regulation that bans from the European market goods - such as soy, palm oil, beef, coffee, cocoa, corn or rubber - whose production is often linked to deforestation. Companies have been warned: those who destroy our planet cannot enter our market.

“This marks a huge step forward, as so far - whether it was the chocolate spread in the morning, the coffee in the afternoon or the cold cuts for dinner - goods in our everyday lives have unfortunately contributed to the destruction of rainforests. This cannot and will not happen in the future. Consumers in the EU can be sure to not have deforestation in their shopping cart.

“We are therefore calling on companies to trace their products and make their supply chains fully transparent - from the field to the supermarket.

“The destruction of rainforests is not only an unfathomable environmental disaster, but also a huge social tragedy. This is because the clearing of rainforests for the cultivation of agricultural raw materials is often accompanied by land theft from indigenous communities. With this law, only agricultural products that importers can prove are in compliance with land tenure rights of indigenous communities will be allowed on the European market.”

MEPs involved
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Germany
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