38 Amendments of Monika BEŇOVÁ related to 2019/2156(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
— having regard to the draft feasibility study on options to step up EU action against deforestation, commissioned by the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment (20178),
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the year 2020 is the deadline for a number of forest-related international commitments, such as target 15.2 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to halt deforestation by 2020, and the Aichi biodiversity target 5, adopted in 2010under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which states that “by 2020 the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced”; whereas these commitments are still far from being met;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas forests are essential to preserve the world’s biodiversity and climate, and to directly sustain millions of people’s livelihoods; however whereas, despite all efforts so far, conservation, preservation and sustainable use of the world’s forests as well as the protection of indigenous peoples and local communities cannot be adequately ensured by current policies;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas newly planted forests cannot replace primary forests; whereas stepping up action to protect existing forests and actively and sustainably restore the integrity of forest ecosystems before createing new forest coverage has to play a crucial role in the EU’s sustainability policies;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU is also indirectly involved in the deforestation and degradation of world forests, including through the consumption of products related to deforestation; whereas EU consumption represents around 10% of the global share of deforestation embodied in total final consumption of commodities such as palm oil, beef, soy, cocoa, maize, timber, including fuelwood for energy, and rubber;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a recent Global Witness investigation revealed that, between 2013 and 2019, EU-based financial institutions were the main international source of funds and backed six agribusiness companies linked to forest destruction in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Papua New Guinea to the tune of €7 billion1a; _________________ 1a https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaig ns/forests/why-eu-action-tackle- deforestation-should-not-let-finance- hook/
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas current voluntary commitments from companies and banks to tackle deforestation have failed to deliver the change in behaviour needed to halt this disastrous environmental destruction;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas action at all levels, including regulatory measures, as well as substantial investment, will be needed to protect the world's forests more effectively;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas indigenous peoples and local communities are increasingly under threat and facing human rights violations for their efforts to protect their forests, land, and environment;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas increased protection of forests and other natural ecosystems, protects the cultures and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities and provides opportunities for economic development, particularly at the level of local communities;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the amount of EU funding provided to support the protection and restoration of forests and sustainable forest management in partner countries is insufficient given the scale of the problem; whereas the protection, restoration and sustainable management of natural ecosystems, as well as their related co- benefits and human rights aspects, need to be better integrated into EU funding mechanisms;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Welcomes the Commission Communication ‘Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests’ and considers it a good basis for the development of decisive EU action to protect and restore forests and other natural ecosystems while protecting human rights; underlines that implementing a comprehensive set of measures and initiatives, including new legislation, is essential to reduce the EU’s footprint on the world’s natural ecosystems;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Agrees with the priorities for stepping up EU action presented in COM(2019)352; notes, however, that the EU should be more ambitious; the communication; underlines that the five priorities laid out in the communication are equally important and should be implemented simultaneously; notes, however, that the EU should be more ambitious in its actions and policy measures in order to adequately address the urgency of deforestation and forest degradation worldwide; is of the opinion that EU action against deforestation should tackle its main drivers, including palm oil, soy, beef, maize, rubber, cocoa, and fuelwood for energy;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the EU has the powers, responsibility and funds available to also protect European forests as part of the world’s forests; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that measures aimed at protecting and restoring the world’s foreststhe highest standards of environmental protection are consistently applied to European forests;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to recognise that the protection of native forests provides an outstanding climate mitigation benefit, deriving from the size and longevity of their ecosystem carbon stocks, which are greater in primary forests than in production forests even at harvest maturity;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the crucial role and rights of iIndigenous pPeoples and local communities in the protection of the world’s forests and calls on the Commission to take this role into account in the design, adoption, implementation and enforcement of forest protection measures, both at EU level, in partner countries, in dialogue with other consumer countries and in key international forums;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the role of civil society, Indigenous People and Communities in environmental protection and sustainable consumption and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure transparency and public participation in forest-related measures in order to promote forest protection and human rights;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that a single definition of the concept of non- deforestation- free supply chain is central to addressing the problem of commodities contributing to deforestation, and calls on the Commission to propose such a definition; considers that this definition should be as ambitious as possible, and aim at including forest degradation as well as deforestation and degradation and conversion of natural ecosystems that do not qualify as forests, as well as related human rights violations;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to ensure that studies on certification schemes for non-deforestation commodities are carried out without delay and to submit these studies, together with a proposal for follow-up actions, to the European Parliament for further consideration with a view to developing a single certification scheme;
Amendment 225 #
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 iEmphasises that robust regulatory measures on the basis of due diligence are needed to ensure that there are no products entering the EU market that contribute to deforestation, forest degradation and conversion or der to promote non-deforestation products, including the possibility of introducing due diligence regulation for forest-risk commoditiesgradation of natural ecosystems, biodiversity loss or violations of human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, in any phase of the supply chain; calls therefore on the Commission to present without delay a proposal for an effective European legal framework based on due diligence to guarantee deforestation-free supply chains for all products placed on the EU market;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the private sector to be more involved in the fight against deforestation and human rights violations embodied in their supply chains and investments, fulfilling without further delay their zero deforestation commitments; calls, at the same time, on the Commission to step up cooperation with the private sector and to develop appropriate instruments to incentivise volunteers based on the principle of shared responsibilityfrontrunners, as well as encourage companies to transition to global sustainable supply chains;
Amendment 272 #
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 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) 2019/807 and, if necessary, to revise this Regulation without undue delay, and in any case before 2023, in order to phase out as soon as possible high ILUC-risk biofuels used in Europe; on the basis of scientific knowledge and in accordance with the precautionary principle;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Emphasises the importance of reducing negative impacts of the EU food system on forests and other ecosystems; calls therefore for EU action that creates new incentives to promote sustainable food systems and diets, including reducing waste and pressure on the global food system stemming from EU consumption;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the Commission's plan to ensure that the topic of deforestation is part of country-level political dialogues and recommends that the Commission includeformalises partnership agreements, which include the protection of forests and ecosystems, the promotion of human rights, in particular the rights of iIndigenous pPeoples and local communities, as well as support for the effective participation of civil society organisations and environmentalists in these dialogues;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the Commission's plan to help partner countries develop and implement national frameworks for forests and their sustainable management, but considers that such assistance should produce measurable results demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and recommends that the Commission include this aspect in its reflections and actionsensuring the recognition of land tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and incorporating substantial direct support to civil society in partner countries to ensure a balanced and equitable political dialogue; points out that such frameworks should reflect not only domestic needs but also global commitments such as the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 329 #
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 or deforestation and human rights violation-free supply chains) and to ensuring the coherence of the policies and measures adopted;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Welcomes the Commission's intention of promoting sustainable supply chains in order to increase the benefits of the circular economy domestically and globally; underlines that this can only be done through mandatory due diligence obligations in line with OECD guidelines which fully respect environmental, social and safety standards as well as fully implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; expects the Commission to present a legislative initiative on due diligence, which includes the introduction of a transparent and functioning mandatory ‘social and environmental traceability’ along the entire supply chain;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all newly adopted tradeand future trade and investment agreements, both comprehensive and relevant sub- agreements, are fully compatible with the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, that environmental and climate provisions are legally binding and enforceable and that they contain provisions relating to forests andincluding safeguards to prevent them from being implemented in a manner that could lead to deforestation and forest degradation;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recommends that the Commission assess the possibility of including forest protection provisionbinding and legally enforceable provisions relating to forests, ecosystems and human rights in existing trade agreements which do not yet contain such provisions or in which such provisions are not binding and legally enforceable in practice;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Underlines the need to ensure the consistency of EU trade policy with the objectives of deforestation-free policies by guaranteeing the protection and restoration of forests and other natural ecosystems in trading partner countries whilst defending human rights, ensuring good land governance, supporting local livelihoods and maintaining the cultural integrity of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and smallholders;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the impact of trade agreements on the state of forests, natural ecosystems and human rights is systematically evaluated in the framework of sustainability impact assessments and other relevant assessment methods, and that the conclusions of these assessments are subsequently taken into account when deciding whether to conclude such agreements;
Amendment 374 #
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 native European forests, as part of the EU's future forest strategy; recalls that newly planted forests cannot replace primary forests;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers it necessary to redirect financial flows, both private and public, in the relevant industrial sectors towards activities that do not cause deforestation; underlines the need to introduce mandatory due diligence on deforestation risk for the finance sector to ensure it is not enabling or contributing to deforestation, forest degradation, ecosystem conversion and degradation, or human rights violations.
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to integrate forest and human rights-related elements systematically into development policies and all investment and support programmes aimed at producer countries, and to consider making investments and support conditional on compliance with these elements;