Activities of Martin HÄUSLING related to 2019/2156(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the EU’s role in protecting and restoring the world’s forests
Amendments (46)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission Communication entitled 'The European Green Deal' (COM(2019)640),
Amendment 6 #
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 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the climate and environment emergency,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 c (new)
Citation 13 c (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2020 on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 d (new)
Citation 13 d (new)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 e (new)
Citation 13 e (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 4 April 2017 on palm oil and deforestation of rainforests;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 f (new)
Citation 13 f (new)
- having regard to the 2017 Council conclusions on indigenous people,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 g (new)
Citation 13 g (new)
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the good condition of forests and of other highly biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems are essential to reverse massive biodiversity loss and limit global warming; whereas protecting and restoring those ecosystems, both at EU and global level, should be, alongside substantial and rapid direct GHG emissions reduction across all sectors, a core and distinct priority of the EU's answer to the climate and environmental emergency the world is facing;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas deforestation causes immense biodiversity loss and further increases global warming, with tropical deforestation being the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions; whereas, despite all efforts so far, conservation and sustainable use of the world’s forests cannot be adequately ensured by current policies;
Amendment 56 #
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 coverage has to play a crucial role in the EU’s sustainability policiesenhance the quantity and quality of forests ecosystems, both at EU and global level, has to play a crucial role in the EU’s sustainability policies; whereas this can only be achieved by ensuring policy coherence across all sectors and between the EU's internal and external policies, carefully assessing the impact of all EU policies on biodiversity and ecosystems through the use of a robust 'do no harm' test;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU is also indirectly involved in the deforestation and, degradation and conversion of world forests and of other natural ecosystems and related human rights violations, including through the consumption and trade of products and commodities related to deforestation and ecosystems degradation, the lack of environmental integrity of its current bioenergy policy, and the provision of private finance and investment to companies directly or indirectly related to the destruction or degradation of forests and other natural ecosystems ;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the European Environment Agency's report on 'The European Environment - state and outlook 2020' also warned that the EU is set to miss most of its own environmental targets and objectives for 2020, and highlighted in particular that Europe's forests are still subject to many human- induced pressures, such as intensive forest management, pollution, climate change and invasive alien species;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas action at all levels, stricter enforcement of current legislation and adoption of new regulatory measures, as well as substantial investment, will be needed to protect the world's forestforests and other natural ecosystems more effectively;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas increased protection of forests providesand restoration of forests and other natural ecosystems preserve the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, and provide opportunities for economic development and job creation, particularly at the level of local communities;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU has expertise in sustainable forest management and in assisting other countries with capacity buildingimplementation of the EU Forest Strategy has so far not led to substantial improvements in the conservation status of forest habitats and species in Europe; whereas lessons need to be drawn so as to ensure sustainable forest management substantially improve biodiversity and the resilience of forests and to increase capacity building in that regard, in particular for third countries;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. 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 146 #
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, in particular by prioritising regulatory measures to address EU-driven deforestation and by extending this approach to other natural ecosystems; underlines that the five priorities laid out in the communication are equally important and should be implemented simultaneously as a package;
Amendment 161 #
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; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that ambitious measures aimed at protecting and restoring forests and other natural ecosystems are applied equally to European and the world’'s forests, are consistently applied to European forestnd reflect this ambition consistently within the new EU Forest and Biodiversity Strategies;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the crucial role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the protection of the world’s forests and calls on the Commission to take this role; is deeply concerned by the increasing threats and human rights violations they are facing; calls on the Commission to take this role and the related rights of indigenous peoples and local communities into account in the design, adoption, implementation and enforcement of forest protection measures, both at EU level, in dialogue with partner countries and in key international forums;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the role of civil society, environmental defenders, indigenous peoples and local communities in environmental protection and sustainable consumption and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure transparency and public participation in forest- and other land-use-related measures in order to promote forest protection; biodiversity and ecosystems protection, in particular in forests;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that a single definition of the concept of non-'zero deforestation and ecosystem degradation' supply chain is central to addressing the problem of commodities contributing to deforestation, and calls on the Commission to propose such a definitionforest degradation and to the conversion and degradation of other natural ecosystems; calls on the Commission to propose such a legally- binding definition; considers that the Commission should primarily focus on the main drivers of deforestation, including palm oil, soy, beef, maize, rubber, cocoa, paper and fuelwood for energy; in doing so, the Commission should pay particular attention to related human rights violations as well as the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to ensure that studies on certification schemes for non-deforestationforest and ecosystem risk commodities are carried out without delay and to submit these studies, together with a proposal for follow-up actions, toso that the European Parliament forcan further consideration the need for such schemes as part of a more comprehensive package of regulatory measures;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Emphasises the need to further improve implementation and enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation to best preserve sustainable trade in imported and domestically produced timber and timber products; notes also that imports of timber and timber products should be more thoroughly checked at EU borders to ensure that the imported products do indeed comply with the criteria necessary to enter the EU; stresses that the strengthening of existing policies must go hand in hand with increased policy coherence to ensure that EU policies, including trade, do not create negative impacts on the environment or people;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that the Commission pay particular attention to the possibilities ofalls its support for a European legal framework based on mandatory due diligence to regulatinge access to the Union market in order to promote non-deforestation products, including the possibility of introducing due diligonly to products and commodities that do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation, nor to the conversion or degradation of other natural ecosystems; believes such framework should apply to all economic actors, including financial actors, both upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and should also ensure the absence of regulation for forest-risk commoditiesed human rights violations; urges the Commission to adopt such a proposal without delay;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that such European legal framework should be based on a robust enforcement regime and include effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for non-compliance;
Amendment 240 #
7b. Underlines the significant impact of EU's imports of animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs, on the world's forests and other natural ecosystems; considers that the EU must address and reduce such demand of forest and ecosystem risk commodities by promoting primarily plant-based diets and low input extensive livestock farming, and by making support conditional on farmers using legally and sustainably sourced feedstock; stresses also the need to focus on shorter supply chains of protein crops, to the advantage of food sovereignty both in the EU and its partners;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the private sector to be more involactived in the fight against deforestation and to significantly reduce its ecological footprint overall; calls, atin the same timeat regard, on the Commission to step up cooperaits action within the private sector and to develop appropriate instruments to incentivise volunteers based on the principle of shared responsibilityframework of the Sustainable Finance Strategy and in particular to seize the opportunity of the upcoming revision of the EU Directive for Non-Financial reporting to ensure full transparency and accountability of the private sector in their use and management of natural resources;
Amendment 270 #
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 Europe and in other parts of the world; calls, thereforein particular, 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, on the basis of scientific knowledge and in accordance with the precautionary principle, so as to ensure the phase out of all high-ILUC risk biofuels, including soy, and to fulfil the EU's global commitment to stop and reverse global biodiversity loss;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the need to reduce the EU's consumption of wood and wood- based products by promoting a more circular economy, minimising the generation of waste and by promoting consumer awareness on the ecological consequences of wood-based commodities;
Amendment 281 #
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 includeextend these dialogues to the protection of all natural ecosystems and the sustainable management of land and agriculture, and include in these dialogues the promotion of human rights, in particular the rights and needed protection of indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as support for environmentalists in these dialoguof environmental defenders; strongly encourages the Commission to formalise those dialogues by the adoption of partnership agreements with those countries; stresses that such dialogues should be held with all producer countries, including developed countries;
Amendment 294 #
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, butand considers that such assistance should produce measurable results demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and recommends that the Commission include this aspect in its reflections andensure a balanced and equitable political dialogue among all stakeholders, including through direct support to local civil society actionors;
Amendment 304 #
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 planning in partner countries, ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including land tenure rights;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the EU to consider providingincrease its support to third countries with the potentialin their transition to switch tond and solar renewable energy sources, thereby reducing the pressure on deforestation caused by the use of wood as fuel;
Amendment 323 #
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-freethat fully contributes to biodiversity protection or 'zero deforestation and ecosystem degradation' supply chains) and to ensuring the coherence of the policies and measures adopted;
Amendment 347 #
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 provisions relating to forests and safeguards to prevent them from being implemented in a manner that could lead to deforestation and forest degradadopted by the EU contain binding, enforceable and sanctionable provisions relating to the protection of forests and other natural ecosystems and safeguards against related human rights violations;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Deplores that the negotiations on the EU-Mercosur agreement did not uphold these principles, despite evidence that this trade agreement will reinforce and perpetuate the dependency of the Mercosur economies on the very economic activities that lead to deforestation; calls on the suspension of the EU-Mercosur agreement process until binding, enforceable and sanctionable provisions to address climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss and the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities have been included;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recommends that the Commission assess the possibility of including forest protection provisionWelcomes the "do no harm" principle as highlighted in the European Green Deal Communication; in that context, calls on the Commission to analyse the extent to which existing trade agreements directly or indirectly contribute to deforestation, forest degradation, and the conversion and degradation of other natural ecosystems, and to propose measures to address such detrimental impacts where identified, in particular by including binding, enforceable and sanctionable provisions for the protection of forests, natural ecosystems and human rights in existing trade agreements which do not yet contain such provisions;
Amendment 365 #
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, other natural ecosystems and related human rights violations, is systematically evaluated in the framework of sustainability impact assessments and other relevant assessment methods, and that no trade agreement be concluded until the conclusions of these assessments are subsequentfully taken into account when deciding whether to conclude such agreementby all Parties;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recalls the importance of adequate access to justice, legal remedies and effective protection for whistleblowers in natural resources exporting countries in order to ensure the efficiency of any legislation or initiative; further calls on the EU to introduce a formal and independent complaints mechanism that would allow citizens, and local stakeholders with effective recourse to remedy, and a tool to address potential negative impacts on human rights, notably through the application of the State to State Dispute settlement to the trade and sustainable development provisions in FTAs;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to include binding targets and adequate funding for the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems, including nativeural and primary European forests, as part of the EU's future forest and biodiversity strategyies;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers it necessary to redirect financial flows, both private and public, in the relevant industrialsectors, including the financial and insurance sectors, towards activities that do not cause deforestation, forest degradation, and conversion and degradation of other natural ecosystems; urges in that regard the Commission to adopt without delay an EU definition of economic activities that substantially harm the environment under the Taxonomy Regulation;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission and Member States to integrate forest- ecosystems and human rights related elements systematically into development policies and all investment and support programmes aimed at producer countries, and to consider makingmake investments and support conditional on compliance with these elements;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to take specific steps to improve the availability of information and data obtained through existing and new monitoring tools relating to the world's and European forests, and to ensure that this information is disseminated in a form that is accessible and comprehensible to regulatory and enforcement authorities, the public, consumers and the private sector;