Joint NGO call to the EU to develop an Action Plan on deforestation and forest degradation
26 May 2014
The EU’s 2013 ‘Forest Footprint’ study revealed how the bloc leads the industrialised world in driving global deforestation. The EU was the largest net importer of embodied deforestation between 1990 and 2008, significantly ahead of other trading powers like China or North America. It concludes that as a progressive trading bloc, the EU must rise to the challenge through policies and regulatory measures that would raise the standards for all companies and level the playing field. This would boost pledges made by companies and mean the public can hold companies to account for implementing their commitments. The EU must do this while supporting developing countries through the provision of financial and technical assistance to tackle deforestation and forest degradation in their own territories by strengthening community control over resources, improving forest governance and supporting the development and implementation of sustainable land use strategies.
Category: NGO Statements