EPP must stop fanning the flames of climate catastrophe
Deforestation
Today, MEPs will vote on whether to use the urgency procedure for the Commission’s proposal to delay the application of the EU’s flagship regulation on preventing deforestation in supply chains. At the start of October, the Commission announced a postponement of the implementation of this important regulation by 12 months. The law, which lays down due diligence obligations for companies importing raw materials and products into the internal market to ensure that they no longer contribute to deforestation, is a key element of the European Green Deal.
Anna Cavazzini, Greens/EFA MEP and Chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and rapporteur of the Internal Market Committee opinion, comments:
“The law on deforestation-free supply chains cannot wait. While the Amazon is burning, a delay of just one year will leave an area fourteen times the size of Paris at risk of deforestation.
“The Commission is gambling with the future of our climate. The EPP is fanning the flames of climate catastrophe by choosing cheap political point scoring over keeping our planet livable.
“The Parliament must take responsibility and prevent the law from being reopened at all costs. Numerous companies have already committed to complying with the regulations by 2025 and are now rightly frustrated with the Commission.”
Virginijus Sinkevicius, Greens/EFA MEP and former Commissioner responsible for the file, comments:
“We must move beyond treating environmental action as a mere transaction and start prioritising long-term climate risks. If we continue on our current path, with worsening soil degradation and water scarcity, the consequences will inevitably catch up to us.
“Inaction on deforestation will lead to the destruction of vital virgin forests that are essential to keep our planet habitable. We have to stay the course and keep our environmental laws and obligations on track if we are to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
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Today’s vote on the urgency procedure will be followed by a vote on the EC proposal itself, and any AMs tabled, in the Nov I plenary session.
