Landmark EU Legislation Will Make European Consumption Deforestation-Free – A Big Step, But the Implementation Can Go Further to Curb Deforestation

To complement the finalization of this monumental new law, TNC is today releasing a policy paper outlining five key recommendations for the implementation stage of the legislation to ensure its longevity and effectiveness. TNC is committed to working with the EU on the implementation of the new law by utilizing its extensive experience working with governments, industry, and local communities in deforestation hot spots to ensure the legislation succeeds.  

“Implementation is key. As this legislation enters this new phase, there are several opportunities to focus on accompanying measures that will help strengthen and future-proof the new law, particularly by incentivizing producers to address land-use dynamics in commodity production,” said Matthew Sielski, TNC’s Senior Policy Advisor for Deforestation and Trade. “We have identified five key recommendations for policymakers as they implement the law, focusing on complementary measures that will help producers shift production away from damaging land-conversion practices, which could help accelerate the EU’s legislative goals and significantly contribute to the success of the new law.” 

In addition to providing practical solutions that address the problem of deforestation at its core, the paper points to the significant potential of the EU Observatory on Deforestation and the recently announced EU Forest Partnerships in strengthening this legislation. The paper also provides recommendations on how to strengthen cooperation frameworks with other major consumer markets and expand the scope of the legislation to include other natural ecosystems.