It is not said for nothing that forests are the green lungs of our planet. The destruction of one of the natural foundations of our lives must finally stop!

I am therefore hopeful that in this plenary session in Strasbourg we have sent a clear signal against EU-driven global deforestation to protect the Amazon and other forests and for a more responsible approach to nature by voting YES to the regulation on deforestation-free products! 

After all, our forests are not only one of the most effective sinks for CO2 emissions and provide us with air to breathe, they are also home to a wide variety of the earth's flora and fauna. However, once a forest has been cleared, it is no longer as it once was. For this reason, they must be preserved in their natural form worldwide!

The European Parliament today voted to tackle deforestation and forest degradation linked to certain commodities and products such as beef, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy and timber that the EU imports or exports:

👉 Binding due diligence obligations for companies: Importers must be able to prove beyond doubt that no forests, including old-growth and primeval forests in Europe, have been destroyed for the production of their goods and, for example, converted into farmland or indigenous peoples displaced.
👉 This means: Europe is taking responsibility for its supply chains!
👉 In addition: More protection for local populations, especially indigenous peoples, as deforestation is often linked to human rights violations.

The Amazon in particular is suffering from the massive expansion of agricultural land in conjunction with land grabbing - and thus the production of products that we source from the region. It's high time this came to an end!

In addition, the ongoing deforestation in the world's largest rainforest is a key argument against the EU-Mercosur agreement. Expanding trade harms the local environment and inhabitants as well as the climate!