Activities of Michal WIEZIK related to 2019/2156(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on The EU’s role in protecting and restoring the world’s forests
Amendments (39)
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the role of agriculture and prevention of food loss and food waste is expanding as the growing world population requires increased food productiongrows; notes with concern the estimate that 14 percent of the world’s food is lost from harvest, slaughter and catch -up1a; considers, therefore, that all further actions must address issues such as preventing losses along the food chain, unsustainable land use and management practices, coping with natural disturbances and mitigating climate change; _________________ 1a http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food- waste/en/
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, despite all efforts so far, conservation and sustainable use of the world’s forests can, including in the EU have not been adequately ensured by current policies; whereas, in addition, EU nature legislation, while fit for purpose, lacks implementation and problems with illegal logging are also found in the EU;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Renewable Energy Directive's negative impact on the world's and EU forests required a recast of this Directive; whereas the changes introduced will however not address the problem;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas stepping up action to protect and restore existing forests and actively and sustainably create new forest coveragecreate new forest and agroforestry coverage where appropriate, taking account of high-nature value reference vegetation, e.g. wetlands, peatlands and grasslands, hasve to play a crucial role in the EU’s sustainability policies;
Amendment 63 #
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 a robust protein plant production within the EU; in order to reduce the dependence on imports, and reduce the pressure on forests due to land use change
Amendment 76 #
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 both primary, secondary and managed forests by developing more innovative and efficient farming within and outside the EU, and reducing food losses throughout the food chain through new technologies; considers that the high demand for food should be addressed through technical assistance, cooperation among agricultural organisations and knowledge transfer;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Underlines that next to agricultural commodities, also timber, pulp, paper and bioenergy is responsible for a large- scale deforestation. In order to mitigate the negative impact of these industries, it is of great importance to set aside large enough areas of intact forests with highest protection to sustain large- scale ecological processes that are crucial for adaptation of forests to climate change.
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the pressure increases not only on tropical, but also on boreal forests;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas human intervention in largely undisturbed areas affects biodiversity and natural processes in these areas, including natural circulation of viruses and can eventually lead to transfer to human population; whereas an intermediary host of the coronavirus is suspected to be the pangolin, one of the most illegally traded species in the world;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the applicable rules of the EU Renewable Energy Directive are based on the understanding that energy dedicated harvests are sustainable, and climate-neutral, and enable the renewal of the source in a relevant time-frame; whereas this understanding is erroneous;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises the importance of sustainable forest management within the EU and in third countries as an essential factor in ensuring the income of forest owners and farmers practicing agroforestry and in improving the resilience of forests.;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Regrets that the rules of the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy have systematically led to degradation and in many cases have hampered restoration, regeneration and rejuvenation of high-nature value agroforestry systems; notes with concern the current large-scale die-off of iconic Mediterranean high-nature value agroforestry system and urgently calls for change of the rules in order to facilitate regeneration and restoration of existing agroforestry systems, and establishment of new ones;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Reiterates and welcomes the recognition by the Communication1a that old-growth and primary forests are irreplaceable and urges that this understanding underpins also policy and strategies´ discussions, and law enforcement effectiveness also in the EU in order to preserve and restore these ecosystems and their remnants in the EU; _________________ 1aEuropean Commission, 2019: Communication Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests’ (COM(2019)0352
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas mangrove forests fulfil crucial ecosystem services, given that they store large amounts of carbon, they are an important spawn location for many species of coral reef fish, and they protect coral reefs from nutrient loads and sediments, and coastal areas from flooding; whereas until recently mangrove forests covered over ¾ of tropical coasts and more than half has been lost due to coastal development, aquaculture, pollution, and unsustainable use;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the conversion of mangrove forests causes 10% of carbon emissions from deforestation although mangroves represent only 0.7% of tropical forests1a _________________ 1aDaniel C.Donato et al., 2011: Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forest in the tropics. Nature Geoscience
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU has expertise in sustainablea long tradition in managing forests; whereas the majority of its forests are managementd and in assisting other countries with capacity buildingtensification of their management is worrisome and goes against climate and biodiversity goals; whereas the EU could invest in capacity building for close-to- nature, and sustainable management;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Agrees with and highlights the reference to old-growth and primary forests in the Communication as being irreplaceable; regrets that some of the EU domestic policies in force are directly contradicting this understanding;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the EU has the powers, responsibility and funds available to protect European forests as part of the world’s forests; reiterates that success in our external action and response of our partners to protect their forests depends on how effective and ambitious we are in relation to our own natural heritage; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that measures aimed at proteconsistency between its external actiong and restoring the world’s forests are consistently applied to Europeanthe task to protect and restore EU forests;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that the Commission pay particular attention to the possibilities of regulating access to the Union market in order to promote non-deforestation products, including the possibility ofexplore WTO compliant possibilities to prevent access of products responsible for deforestation to the EU market, including by introducingtion of due diligence regulation for forest-risk commodities;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the methods used to achieve the objectives set out in the Clean Energy for all Europeans package must not lead to deforestation and forest degradation neither in the EU nor in other parts of the world; calls, therefore, on the Commission to review by 2021 the relevant aspects of the report annexed to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/807Renewable Energy Directive and delegated acts supplementing it and, if necessary, to revise this Regulationem without undue delay, and in any case before 2023, on the basis of scientific knowledge and in accordance with the precautionary principle and the principle of ’’do no harm’’ of the European Green Deal;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Recalls the letter of more than 700 scientists calling for a scientifically-sound revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, in particular excluding certain types of woody biomass from counting towards the target and from the eligibility to receive support;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Notes that COP23 witnessed the ambition of a number of countries, rich in primary and highly-biodiverse forests and representing half of the world population, to increase the use of wood and other plant matter to generate energy1a; reiterates that the EU should not set the wrong example and it must ensure that rules guiding the renewable energy policy do not lead to decimated and degraded ecosystems; _________________ 1a Doyle, A. & Roche, A. Nineteen nations say they’ll use more bioenergy to slow climate change. Reuters. Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/us- climatechange-accord-biofuels/nineteen- nations-say-theyll-use-more-bioenergy-to- slow-climate-change-idUSKBN1DG2DO (2017)
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to propose specific measures to strengthen the political and regulatory framework for supporting sustainable forest management and land use planningthe protection and restoration of forests, and to provide guidance and specific measures on land use planning and no -regret adaptation options, in particular nature- based solutions;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to place particular emphasis on measures for the sustainable production and use of wood fuels in view, inter alia, of the high level of imports of wood pellets into the EU and the potential risks that these imports pose to forests in third countriesa revision of the Renewable Energy Directive in view of the high level of degradation of forest ecosystems around the world facilitated by its provisions and in view of the fact that emissions per unit of energy of solid woody biomass are higher than for coal;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls for the Commission and Member States to acknowledge that since the introduction of the Renewable Energy Directive the use of wood for energy has kept increasing and data show a worrying and unsustainable wood use ratio of approximately 1:1 for material use to energy use at EU level; calls for this situation to be remedied by terminating the regime of subsidies for wood-based bioenergy;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the EU to consider providing support to third countries with the potentialredirect support to Member States and third countries to switch to truly renewable and low-carbon energy sources, thereby reducing the pressure onf deforestation caused by the use of wood as fuel; highlights that the more decentralised energy systems of third countries would allow for a straightforward transition to solar and wind energy sources;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the Commission's plan to strengthen cooperation on policies and measures to protect the world’s forests in key international forums, and calls on the Commission to endeavour to cooperate with these forums with a view, inter alia, to harmonising the terminology and concepts in use (e.g. sustainable forest management orintact and old-growth forests, plantation, sustainable forest management, close-to-nature management, deforestation-free supply chains) and to ensuring the coherence of the policies and measures adopted;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls the Commission to restart the negotiations for an international legally binding forest convention, that would contribute to the management, conservation and sustainable development of forests and to provide for their multiple and complementary functions and uses, including action towards reforestation, afforestation and forest conservation, while taking into account social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations, and recognising the vital role of all types of forests in maintaining the ecological processes and balance, and supporting the identity, culture and the rights of indigenous people, their communities and other communities and forest dwellers;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses the importance of agroforestry systems, characterised by higher effectivity of land use than other agricultural systems, for agricultural production, diversification, climate change mitigation and adaptation and prevention of desertification; stresses that at EU level, present and past rules of CAP reforms have been co-responsible for their systematic destruction and prevention of rejuvenation; calls for a change in order to systematically incentivise existing high- nature value agroforestry systems, facilitate their restoration and provide capacity building to streamline this method of production;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Highlights that there is a significant difference in delivery of ecosystem services by different types of forest stands; reiterates that according to FAO definition, all types fall under the same category of forests; considers this problematic and calls for a process of developing separate categories;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Regrets that the Communication lacks any mention of mangrove forests, the world-scale degradation of which is a major problem both from a climate and biodiversity point of view, as well as for the livelihood of respective local communities;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all newly adopted trade agreements, both comprehensive and relevant sub- agreements, contain binding and enforceable provisions relating to forests and safeguards to prevent them from being implemented in a manner that could lead toprevention of deforestation and forest degradation;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recommends that the Commission assess the possibility of including binding and enforceable forest protection provisions in existing trade agreements which do not yet contain such provisions;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to include binding targets for the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems, including nativeural, intact and old-growth European forests, as part of the EU's future forest strategy;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls for the development of a policy and financial incentives for non- intervention management regime in the most valuable forest areas of the EU;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that the Just Transition Fund be adopted and implemented in line with the ''do no harm'' principle of the European Green Deal and that it does not increase pressure on the world’s, including European, forests;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission and Member States to take specific steps to harmonise data and improve the availability of information and data obtained through existing and new monitoring and assessment tools relating to forests, and to ensure that thise information is disseminated in a form that is accessible, user-friendly and comprehensible to the public, consumers and the private sector and ready to use by policy makers;