36 Amendments of Tiziana BEGHIN related to 2016/2222(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that palm oil accounts for about 40 % of global trade in all vegetable oils and that the EU, with around 7 million tonnes per year, is the second largest global importer; notes with concern that around half of the forest area illegally cleared to support EU imports has been used for palm oil production; calls on the Commission, in this connection, to reduce the amount of imported palm oil from third countries by applying different customs duty schemes for certified sustainable palm-oil products taking into consideration certification systems such as RSPO-next and fully meeting the sustainability requirements set up by the Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG);
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP),
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission in this regard to initiate a reform of the Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature at the World Customs Union (WCO) that would allow a distinction between certified sustainable and unsustainable palm oil and its derivatives;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that Malaysia and Indonesia are the main producers of palm oil, with an estimated 85-90 % of global production, and that the growing demand for this commodity puts pressure on land use and has significant effects on local communities, health and climate change; stresses, in this context, that the EU- Indonesia as well as other Free Trade Agreements should not cover palm oil and its derivatives within the current negotianegotiations and should foresee binding sustainable development chapters covering deforestation and core ILO conventions;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas companies trading in palm oil are generally unable to prove with certainty that the palm oil in their supply chain is not linked to deforestation;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas there are no reliable data available in producer countries on the areas of land given over to the cultivation of oil palms, whether it be authorised or not, and this obstacle, from the outset, detracts from the measures taken to certify the sustainability of palm oil;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas precious tropical ecosystems, which cover a mere 7% of the Earth’s surface, are under increasing pressure from deforestation and the establishment of oil palm oil plantations, which are resulting in, for example, the massive forest fires, which frequently affect the rainforest; whereas the deforestation caused by the establishment of oil palm plantations is leading to the drying up of rivers, soil erosion, the loss of groundwater, the pollution of waterways and the destruction of rare natural habitats, and even causing ecosystems to stop providing basic ecosystem services, which is having a major impact on the global climate; whereas the deforestation caused by the establishment of oil palm plantations is one of the factors contributing the most, and dangerously, to the loss of the basic ecosystem services provided by tropical forests, which is having a major impact on the climate, biodiversity, the conservation of natural resources and, lastly, the preservation of the global environment for present and future generations;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of improving the situation through appropriate certification, easily accessible for SMEs, confirming that the palm oil in question has been produced without undue harm to the environment and society and that the product is effectively and transparently traceable throughout the entire supply chain;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ban EU imports of biodieselfuels derived from palm oil and palm oil derivatives as well as EU imports of palm oil and palm oil derivatives for the production of biofuels; asks the Commission to introduce a mandatory labelling scheme for biodieselfuels ingredients and their origins, and for other palm oil products; reiterates the importance of the complete phase-out of the use of biofuels derived by vegetable oils;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas demand for palm oil will, according to estimates, double by 2050; whereas new plantations are constantly being established and existing on, since the 1970s, 90% of the growth in palm oil production has been concentrated in Indonesia and Malaysia; whereas, according to the FAO, these countries will contribute significantly to the growth in total production of vegetable oils in developing countries, expanded in Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asian countries, as well as in Africa and Latin America; stimated to be 15.9 million tonnes in 2030 and 14.2 million tonnes in 20501 a; whereas, moreover, oil palm cultivation is taking off also in other Asian countries, as well as in Africa and Latin America, where new plantations are constantly being established and existing ones expanded; _________________ 1a http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/ap106e/ap 106e.pdf (FAO, World Agriculture Towards 2030/2050 - The 2012 Revision)
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is concerned by the fact that 18% of all illegally produced palm oil enters the EU market and asks the Commission to take immediate measures to identify and curb this trade;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Emphasises that legislation to stop import of illegal forest-risk commodities is urgently needed; recalls that similar measures concerning timber, fisheries and conflict minerals have already been agreed;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the loss of natural habitats in the form of rainforests is endangering the survival of a large number of species (e.g. the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Sumatran tiger and the Bornean orangutan)poses the greatest threat to the survival of the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Sumatran tiger and the Bornean orangutan, in addition to other animal and plant species which, alongside these, are included on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered species, interpreted as being an observed, estimated, inferred or suspected population size reduction of more than 80% over the last 10 years or three generations;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the heavy use of palm oil is primarily due to its low cost, which is made possible by the increase in the number of oil palm plantations in deforested areas; whereas, in addition, the use of palm oil in the food industry is in keeping with a model of mass, unsustainable production and consumption, which runs counter to the use and promotion of organic, high- quality, zero-food-mile ingredients and products;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is fully aware of how complex the issue of palm oil is and notes the need to operate on the basis of thea collective, shared responsibility of many actors, be they the EU andbetween the EU, the Member States, international organisations, Member States,the governments of producer countries, in which palm oil is cdigenous people, national and multivnated and indigenous people, private businesses, or NGOs;ional businesses involved in producing, distributing and processing palm oil, consumer associations and NGOs; is convinced, moreover, that all of these actors must necessarily play a part in resolving this problem;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. NotHopes that palm oil canmay be cultivated responsibly and canfrom an environmental point of view, by avoiding deforestation and the establishment of plantations in replacement of peatlands and other fragile ecosystems, and that this may, at the same time, make a real contribution to the economicsustainable development of a country, provided that no deforestation occurs, that no plantations are established on peatlands, and that the rights ofproducer countries whilst respecting the rights of local people and indigenous communities; points out, in this regard, that the economic benefits deriving from the production of and trading in palm oil can genuinely contribute towards the development of a producer country only if they are fairly distributed among all stakeholders, starting with the local people and indigenous communities are respected;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes the existence of various types of voluntary certification schemes, including RSPO, ISPO and MPOCC, and welcomrecognises their development towards the sustainable cultivation of palm oilcontribution to the sustainable cultivation of palm oil; nevertheless points out that such voluntary certification schemes suffer from certain factors that limit their reliability from the outset, such as the incomplete knowledge of the concessions issued or scheduled for the cultivation of palm oil in producer countries, and the lack of permanent monitoring and control of compliance with certification requirements;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on all stakeholders in RSPO and other voluntary certification systems to agree on a common definition of 'deforestation' and on the need to attain the target of 'zero deforestation' as quickly as possible;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls foron national and multinational companies that cultivate palm oil to use the High Carbon Stock (HCS) approach when developing their plantations; draws attention to the need to create a comprehensive land-us in a lawful manner, which is to say respecting the plan that will take into account the land used by local communities for the cultivation of food, peatlands and high conservation value (HCV) land, and will respect the right of communid rights of the indigenous populations and local communities and fulfilling the highest environmental standards and, above all, not damaging primary forests or peatlands; Calls on European companies that produce or use large quantities of palm oil to contribute actively to attaining the objectives to use the land on the basis of ‘free prset in the multilateral environmental agreements on climate actiorn and informed consent’ (FPIC)the protection of biodiversity;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Draws attention to the need to create a palm oil cultivation strategy that will take into account the land used by local communities for the cultivation of food, peatlands and high conservation value (HCV) land, and will respect the right of communities to use the land on the basis of ‘free prior and informed consent’ (FPIC); points out that mapping in producer countries, including through the use of satellite and geospatial technologies, is the only way to survey oil palm concesssions, assess the impact of that monoculture on natural resources, the environment and the countryside, to pinpoint the areas at greatest risk in terms of habitat continuity, to frame targeted strategies for forestation, reforestation and the creation of ecological corridors for the protection of endangered species, and in a realistic sense to improve voluntary certification systems;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the European Union to support the efforts that must be made to map oil palm cultivation in producer countries and calls on the Commission and Member States to endorse the need, as part of the dialogue with those countries, to impose a freeze on the area under oil palm cultivation, including by introducing a moratorium on new concessions, in order to safeguard the remaining rainforest;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Points out that the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) also views the mapping and monitoring of concessions, supported by an appropriate regulatory framework, as the only instruments that will enable the sustainable management of palm oil production, protection of the remaining rainforest and the framing of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve biological diversity in producer countries 8 a; _________________ 8a http://www.unep.org/pdf/Dec_11_Palm_P lantations.pdf
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls on the European Union and Member States to support the initiatives aimed at acknowledging and assessing the non-monetary value of the ecosystem services provided by forests, help achieve the global objectives on forests established by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)2 a and facilitate the negotiation of the multilateral agreement on forests, which should be legally binding and help safeguard forest ecosystems, protecting them from other competing forms of land use and use of natural resources; _________________ 2a http://www.un.org/esa/forests/
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the EU to continue to initiapromote voluntary partnership agreements, such as FLEGT; notes that a similar approach could also be taken with regard to palm oil, and that it could lead to improved controls on the palm industry in countries of destination; and calls on the Commission to step up the FLEGT negotiations currently in progress such as, for example, the one with Malaysia;5 a considers it particularly important that the EU undertake to initiate these agreements in the countries where illegal logging and the sale of products relating to this are linked directly or indirectly to deforestation with a view to creating new oil palm plantations; notes that an approach similar to FLEGT could also be taken with regard to palm oil, and that it could lead to improved controls on the palm industry in countries of destination; _________________ 5a http://www.euflegt.efi.int/vpa The EU has concluded FLEGT agreements with Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Ghana, Indonesia, Liberia and Congo and is negotiating such agreements with Côte d'Ivoire, DRC, Gabon, Guyana, Honduras, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU to create, as a supplementary element of voluntary partnership agreements, follow-up legislation on such agreements with regard to palm oil along the lines of the EU Timber Regulation; points out at the same time that only partial data is currently available on the implementation of that Regulation and, in particular, that precise information is still not available on fulfilment of the obligations contained therein in respect of due diligence, monitoring and verification, and effective implementation of the ban on the sale of illegally-harvested timber4 a ; urges the Commission therefore to devote more energy to the practical implementation of the Timber Regulation, in order to better gauge its effectiveness and ascertain whether and to what extent it can be taken as a model for a new EU legislative act designed to prevent the sale in the EU of palm oil that is non-sustainable or produced in an unlawful manner in the countries of origin; _________________ 4ahttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/IT/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:520 16DC0074&from=EN;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the non-profit sector, to launch information campaigns and to provide consumers with comprehensive information on the environmental and social consequences of the reckless cultivation of palm oil; calls on the Commission to ensure that information confirming that a product is not linked to deforestation is provided to consumers by means of a special indication on the product; calls on the Commission and Member States to support research into the effects of palm oil consumption on human health, and particularly on children's health, since it is often used as an ingredient in many processed food products;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 2
Paragraph 8 – indent 2
- has not given rise to social problems oreconomic, social and environmental conflicts,
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 2 a (new)
Paragraph 8 – indent 2 a (new)
- does not cause a loss in biodiversity, commencing with endangered animal and plant species ,
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 3 a (new)
Paragraph 8 – indent 3 a (new)
- is not produced in such a way as to infringe the human rights of the local populace,
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to strengthen environmental measures in its trade agreements with a view to preventing palm oil-related deforestation; considers also that, to ensure consistent Union external action in the fields of environmental protection and development cooperation in line with the objectives set out in Articles 191 and 208 TFEU, this issue should also be addressed in partnership and cooperation agreements and association agreements with the third countries concerned in the context of discussions relating to the environment and development chapters thereof 3a ;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to increase import duties on palm oil that is directly linked to deforestation and that does not reflect the real costs associated with the environmental burden; notes that this instrument will require the involvement of certification schemesproduced in a manner directly or indirectly connected with deforestation, reflecting more accurately the real costs associated with the environmental burden in particular the impact on biodiversity, the reduction in the number of plants that function as carbon sinks and CO2 combustion emissions; notes that this instrument will require the involvement of certification schemes; asks the Commission also to consider the introduction and application of non- discriminatory tariff and non-tariff barriers based on the carbon footprint of this product;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to support activities aimed at creatensure that EU policies, including the EU common commercial policy, are established and conducted ing a synergy between the CAP and policies whose objective is to reduce deforestation (REDD+, Biodiversity Strategy); calls on the Commission to assess the potmanner consistent with programmes to combat deforestation in developing countries, such as REDD +; calls on the Commission and the Member States to undertake to ensure that such afforestation and reforestation programmes, as well as being technically and scientifically feasible and resulting in measurable benefits, are implemented in such a way as to respect fully the human rights of local communities and indigenous populations; calls on the Commission and the Member States also to ensure that the environmential consequences of reformproblems related to deforestation caused by palm oil are also discussed ing the CAP for countries outside the EU27, as this has the potential to lead tolight of the objectives set by the European Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, which should be an integral part of the Union's external action in this area; calls on the Commission to ensure that CAP reform does not lead directly or indirectly to a further massive deforestation;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that Member States have an opportunity to support steps aimed at establishing the sustainable cultivation of palm oil by ratifyupholding the Amsterdam Declaration;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to push for the use of palm oil as a component of biodiesel to be phased out by 2020 at the latestnotes with concern that 46% of total palm oil imported by the EU is used for the production of biodiesel and that this involves the use of about one million hectares of tropical soils; notes the existence of major imbalances within the Union, with Italy and Spain obtaining over 90% of biodiesel from palm oil and the Netherlands exporting almost 100% of this product to other Member States and third countries; recalls Special Report 18/2016 of the EU Court of Auditors, which concluded that, because of weaknesses in the Commission’s recognition procedure and in the subsequent supervision of voluntary schemes, the EU certification system for the sustainability of biofuels is not fully reliable7a; asks the Commission to act therefore to ensure that the use of palm oil as an ingredient for biodiesel is banned as soon as possible and in any case by 2020;