I prodotti che acquistiamo e i servizi che utilizziamo possono influire sulla sopravvivenza della foresta pluviale?
Category
🗞
Novità Trascrizione
00:00Can the products we buy, such a hot chocolate drink, and the service we use affect the survival
00:20of rainforests?
00:21Do you think so?
00:23The new deforestation law requires businesses to prove that the manufacturing process and
00:28supply chains are not responsible for the destruction of forests.
00:33But some companies complain about the red tape and costs involved, so the rules have
00:38been delayed.
00:39This week U Decoded untangles the controversy.
00:44Rainforests are crucial for climate stability, especially in the tropics of South America,
00:48Africa and Asia.
00:50But in the last three decades, 420 million hectares have been destroyed, an area slightly
00:56larger than that of the EU.
00:58That land was used for extraction of materials and agriculture.
01:02With the new law, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, wood, rubber, coal and paper
01:09will be affected.
01:11These products will only be sold on the EU market if they're not linked to land deforested
01:15after 2021.
01:18Under the deforestation law, companies will have to monitor supply chains and some products
01:24may become more expensive.
01:26What do consumers think of this trade-off?
01:28I think they are mostly ecological products, but I don't know what causes the deforestation.
01:37Yes, of course, you have to take it into account.
01:40I understand that for a family with many members it is more complicated to take things into
01:46account.
01:47But if you can, and as long as it's within your reach, I think we should do it.
01:52If this is the price for not having such a big deforestation, then yes, I'll buy it.
01:59Well, of course, let's take care of the planet, so I'd look at a little inflation.
02:07Basically, this is a good trend and it can be supported, but it always means that alternative
02:14products will have a much higher price.
02:18Grégoire Lorry has been covering this controversial law for Euronews and can give more details.
02:24The deforestation law was due to be implemented by Member States already from December 30th.
02:31So why did the Commission recently ask to postpone it for one year?
02:35There have been calls and worries from different parts growing, especially over the summer.
02:43So, calls from Member States, from third countries, from companies, operators, traders.
02:49They were highlighting either loopholes or practical details that were unanswered, for
02:56some maybe geopolitical reasons.
02:58The governments in the 27 EU countries agreed with this postponement, but then when the
03:05vote took place in the European Parliament on November 14th, the law was changed again.
03:10Who wanted those changes?
03:12That was the EPP, which is a bit strange because the EPP had the rapporteur on the
03:17previous deregulation, so it means that the EPP has changed a bit its position.
03:21But it's not only the EPP, it's the EPP with the support of the far right.
03:27So it's a new kind of majority that took part in this text.
03:33The EPP said that the former text was too bureaucratic with too stringent rules.
03:41And they got the votes with the help of the far right in this case, which also was kind
03:46of a provocation to the Greens and the socialists that have been trying to build a consensus.
03:52Indeed.
03:53And it's interesting to follow because it's a majority EPP centre-right with the far right
04:00that has decided to water down the text.
04:03And it is a different majority that had supported von der Leyen a few weeks before, that was
04:08a majority with Renew, the Greens and the Social Democrats.
04:12So what comes next in terms of negotiations?
04:15Well, either the text goes through the usual institutional process, so the text has to
04:22be endorsed by the Council, representing the Member States, and by the Parliament.
04:28However, some parties within the Parliament, like the Social Democrats or the Greens, are
04:34calling the Commission to withdraw its proposal to postpone the implementation.
04:40And the left also is asking the vote to be redone because there were technical issues
04:46during the vote.
04:48Once the law comes into force, both producers and import-export companies must put in place
04:53a monitoring system.
04:55Member States will make inspections, and fines worth up to 4% of a company's turnover
05:00could be imposed.
05:01The European Commission will also define countries as having a low, standard or high risk of
05:07deforestation.
05:08But the European Parliament has voted to add a new no-risk category that would exempt countries'
05:13enforcement.
05:14With us at the European Parliament is Anna Cavazzini, Chair of the Committee on Internal
05:19Market and Consumer Protection.
05:21So, the deforestation law is another part of the Green Deal that has become highly politicised
05:28and somehow put on ice.
05:30Is the credibility of the European Union as a decision-maker at stake here?
05:35Yes, I find highly problematic what happened because indeed we're passing laws, companies
05:42are getting prepared for it, citizens are getting prepared for it and then all of a sudden
05:47we say, ah yeah, we want to weaken the law again or we want to postpone the law again
05:50and I think this creates more chaos and indeed threatens the EU as a credible decision-maker.
05:58Some industry sectors are highly critical of it while others want a law as soon as possible.
06:04How do we explain this?
06:06There is a lot of companies who also already in the past committed to zero deforestation
06:11because they know that it's really, really difficult if we destroy our whole biodiversity.
06:17If the EU, with our imports, we also continue destroying forests in the world.
06:21But there is also lobby pressure.
06:23There is companies who don't want to change or who would say,
06:26ok every change I have to do in my company policy is new bureaucracy.
06:30Of course at the beginning there is new bureaucracy, you have to introduce new measures
06:34but I think after a year when you really introduce new mechanisms it will be much easier
06:40and then you also have a clear supply chain and then you can easily obey to the law, comply with the law.
06:47The USA, Brazil and Indonesia criticize the law while other markets hope to benefit.
06:54How important are the third country studies law?
06:59Of course we don't know what happens to Trump but the current US government was never against the law,
07:03they just wanted the postponement.
07:05If you speak to different stakeholders in Brazil,
07:08you know I'm a lot in contact with environmental NGOs, with indigenous communities
07:12and those who really protect the forest and they like the law, they find it really, really important.
07:16If you talk to the agro industry of course in Brazil they are not so happy about the law.
07:20So you also have to specify a little bit whom you talk to
07:23but of course it's important to reach out to third countries,
07:26it's important to not make laws against them but include them in the legislation, in the law making process
07:31and I think this we have to probably do better next time.
07:34Our consumption in Europe is set to contributing 10% to global deforestation.
07:40In turn this has been linked to climate change
07:43with natural disasters becoming increasingly more common everywhere.
07:48At what pace should we move forward to reverse the situation
07:51and are we willing to pay the price?
07:53I'll be back next week for more EU Decoding.