Activities of Pär HOLMGREN related to 2019/2156(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on The EU’s role in protecting and restoring the world’s forests
Amendments (13)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Emphasises that the important role played by farmers in food production and how this inevertheless dependents on natural resources such as soil, water and forests; recognises the multifunctionality of forests, providing ecosystem functions, ranging from supporting and regulating services to cultural and provisioning services, as well as a habitat for more than ¾ of terrestrial biodiversity;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Is deeply concerned that, despite the efforts of the EU and its Member States, the EU’s commitment to halting deforestation by 2020 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals is unlikely to be met, and therefore strongly supports the Commission in its proposal to step up action in protecting and restoring the world’s forests;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Highlights that the EU has been the most significant importer of embodied deforestation linked to crop and livestock products, with meat and soy named as the most significant agricultural drivers of deforestation; considers that the EU must address and reduce its demand of forest- risk commodities, by promotion of locally- sourced, primarily plant-based diets and by making support conditional on farmers using legally and sustainably sourced feedstocks, with focus on pasture-based grazing;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the role of agriculture is expanding as the growing world population requires increased food productione crucial role of sustainable agriculture as the growing world population requires sufficient nutritious food production whilst mitigating climate change; considers, therefore, that all further actions must coherently address issues such as preventing unsustainable land use and management practices, coping with natural disturbances, reducing food waste and mitigating climate change;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Emphasizes the flaws of the biofuel sustainability certification schemes currently recognised and authorised by the EU, as identified by the 2016 European Court of Auditors report, in particular as regards accounting for indirect land use change, traceability and labour conditions; regrets that, under these insufficient sustainability criteria, the import of palm oil, of which half is destined for use in biodiesel, into the EU saw a six-fold increase since the beginning of the last Renewable Energy Directive; Stresses that the Renewable Energies Directive II likewise contains insufficient sustainability criteria, and therefore serves to drive direct and indirect land use change including deforestation; Recognises Commission efforts to identify high-ILUC risk biofuels but is concerned about loopholes in the Delegated Act, and the failure to include soy, despite evidence of its link with deforestation;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need to promote the consumption of sustainably sourced goods by introducing a labelling and certification system for deforestation-free products imported into the EU and incorporating thCalls to prohibit products contributing to deforestation from entering the EU market, by introducing mandatory due diligence obligations on companies that place deforestation-risk commodities on the market; calls, as an initial step, for public procurement rules to be adapted to integrate due diligence obligations on prospective suppliers; Stresses the need to ensure only the consumption of sustainably sourced goods by improving traceability and transparency in the supply chain, and guarding against phenomena such as cattle laundering, which takes advantage of inadequate tracing; Notes the possibility of introducing a labelling and certification system for deforestation-free products imported into the EU but recalls poor experience with flawed certification schemes and inadequate voluntary labelling initiatives; emphasizes the need to incorporate deforestation-free aspectconditions into EU trade dealagreements and other multilateral agreements to ensure policy coherence;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that free trade agreements should include binding and enforceable provisions to protect forests and guard against human rights violations, particularly violations of community tenure rights; Regrets that this principle was not followed during negotiations on the Mercosur agreement, despite the fact that Commission estimates show that a significant proportion of the deforestation embodied in EU consumption originated in Brazil;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Stresses the importance of inclusive partnership with third countries in order to strengthen sustainable land management and sustainable agriculture, as well as good governance particularly in land and forest tenure, as these are governmental responsibilities in combating deforestation, which cannot be adequately addressed by external stakeholders alone; recalls that a partnership approach must support better governance, respect the rights of indigenous peoples, smallholders and local communities, and enable multi- stakeholder processes in producer countries;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the need for further significant progress in developing and implementing an EU protein plant strategy and ensuring robust protein plant production within the EU, to focus on shorter supply chains to the advantage of food sovereignty both in the EU and its partners; stresses that the strategy should also take into account nutritional recommendations relevant for the European region, and integrate production of plant protein for human consumption within the strategy, with the purpose of decreasing the human consumption of meat and milk products, which accounts for a large share of land use change, including deforestation, and, in the EU, currently takes up over 70 percent of EU agricultural land in feeding livestock;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Highlights the importance of further developing existing systems such as the FLEGT action plan to enable the transfer of knowledge and education for partners outside the EU; recommends that the EU increase its efforts into the FLEGT-Voluntary Partnership Agreements, with focus on civil society participation, in particular indigenous peoples, local communities dependent on forests, women and environmental rights defenders; recommends to build on the example of FLEGT-VPA via its extension to forest-risk agricultural commodities;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Takes the view that the drivers of deforestation should be addressed in a EU policy framework, thereby ensuring the coherence of forest-related policies, reducing the pressure on forests by developing more innovative and efficientsustainable farming within and outside the EU, and reducing food losses throughout the food chain including through new technologies; considers that the high demand for food should be addressed through technical assistance, cooperation among agricultural organisations and knowledge transfer;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasizes the need to ensure consistency between EU action at home and abroad; Calls for robust enforcement of the Timber Regulation and the Nature Directives across the EU, including via timely infringement proceedings; strongly condemns the acts of violence, including murder, recently reported against forest rangers and workers in certain Member States, and urges the authorities to ensure full and fair criminal investigation and trial;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Stresses that the 'European Environment - State and Outlook 2020' report found that only one third of the forest habitats listed under the EU Habitats Directive are in favourable conservation status, and that there has been little improvement in the conservation status of forest habitats and species since 2013, despite the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy; highlights that sufficient resources are needed to manage these sites and ensure enforcement of the Nature Directives.