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Lip service on deforestation - Is the EU taking its commitment to halt deforestation seriously?

20 March 2018
by WWF -- last modified 20 March 2018

A new feasibility study on Options to step up EU action to combat deforestation and forest degradation published by the European Commission clearly shows the EU’s role in contributing to deforestation on other continents, such as the Amazon and the Cerrado in Brazil, or tropical forests in Malaysia.


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However, the European Commission has failed to commit to concrete action based on these results, nor to outline what such action could look like – a lack of clear commitment which for WWF is deeply worrying.

The EU contributes to the problem of deforestation by importing products like palm oil, beef and leather, soy and cocoa, but also timber from deforested and converted areas. However, while the EU is part of the problem of global deforestation, the research shows that it can also be part of the solution, by significantly stepping up its efforts to address the impacts of its consumption and adopting a coherent and comprehensive approach.

WWF welcomes the publication of this long awaited study, since it clearly demonstrates that meaningful action on deforestation from an EU perspective is possible. The study proposes a number of actions for supply in producer countries; for demand in the EU; and also for investments and the finance sector. From a WWF perspective, a holistic approach that would include all of these different dimensions is required.

"The failure of the European Commission to propose concrete measures to reduce the EU's destructive footprint on global forests is truly alarming. The finding of this study must be a wake-up call, and they also provide a solid basis for urgent action, if the EU is serious about its international commitments – and responsibility! - to halt deforestation by 2020 and to combat climate change," said Anke Schulmeister, Senior Policy Officer on Forests of WWF's European Policy Office.

"Interestingly, the private sector is far more progressive than the legislator when it comes to reducing the EU's global footprint, with numerous companies already having concrete commitments in place to curb forest destruction in their supply chains. This study is a call to the European Commission to come forward with a proposal to complement these industry efforts to ensure coherent implementation of commitments they made and to create a level playing field for the European market – we urgently call on the Commission to do more than just pay lip service."

To address the problem, a mix of actions will be needed, which WWF would like to see expressed in an EU Action Plan on deforestation and forest degradation, namely:

  • supporting producer countries in addressing problems with deforestation, looking at unsustainable agricultural practices but also at governance and land use challenges, including human rights;
  • addressing over-consumption in the EU as well as other drivers;
  • introducing regulatory measures to ensure that products placed on the EU market are sustainable and not contributing to deforestation , to complement voluntary measures, level the market playing field and support a sustainable economy.

The European Policy Office helps shape EU policies that impact on the European and global environment.

WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature