The European Union is to ban the import of products such as coffee, wood and palm oil if forests have been cleared for their production after 2020.
The law, which is to apply within 18 to 24 months, can enter into force after EU countries formally adopted the measure on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, after negotiations with the European Parliament.
German Development Minister, Svenja Schulze, welcomed the law, calling it a “milestone.”
The aim of the import ban is to significantly reduce deforestation of rainforests worldwide, including in the Amazon region in South America.
“The main driver of global deforestation and forest degradation is the expansion of agricultural land,” a statement by EU member states read.
According to the EU Parliament, 10 per cent of deforestation between 1990 and 2020 is attributable to consumers in the EU.
Under the new legislation, companies are to be obliged to issue due diligence declarations that no forest was cleared or damaged for their products after Dec. 31, 2020.
This is also to apply for derived products like chocolate, furniture or printed paper.
Infringements are to be punishable with at least four per cent of the annual turnover of the company concerned in the EU.
Environmental organisation WWF called for control authorities in Germany, such as customs, to be significantly strengthened so that violations be punished.
