Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Has the European Union finally crossed the line? Coffee importers that are unable to pinpoint the geographic origin of their product and prove their product is “deforestation-free”, will be excluded from the general market, potentially leaving lovers love European coffee starve.
EU seeks to block imports of goods that cause deforestation
Via Bryan PietschToday at 5:04 pm EST
The European Union on Wednesday proposed a measure to limit the import of “non-deforestation” goods and materials to the bloc’s countries, in an effort to counter consumer trends that have led to deforestation worldwide. world.
Importers of commodities including coffee, cocoa, soybeans, beef, palm oil and wood – as well as products made from those materials, such as furniture and chocolate – will was asked to determine the geographic coordinates of the land where the material was produced. To be considered “deforested”, land cannot be deforested or degraded as of December 31, 2020.
The proposal – which needs to be approved by the European Parliament and EU member states before it comes into force – was hailed by European Commission officials as a “breakthrough” action to combat the climate crisis. “We cannot demand ambitious climate policies from our partners that export pollution and support deforestation on the other,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius, Lithuania’s European commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries said.
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Copa-Cogeca, which represents the European agricultural industry, said the hierarchy – which the proposal calls a “key feature” – is “incompatible” with World Trade Organization rules. The system could have “serious consequences for future trading relationships and distort competition in both the EU and global markets,” the group said in a statement. . As a WTO member, Copa-Cogeca said, the EU must “fully respect” WTO rules. Representatives for the European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/17/eu-commodity-imports-deforestation/
I can’t help but think that the amount of paperwork imported by importers applying for approval for their products will cause more deforestation than any coffee farming operation.
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