Activities of Marie TOUSSAINT related to 2020/2006(INL)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deforestation (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT with recommendations to the Commission on an EU legal framework to halt and reverse EU-driven global deforestation
Amendments (47)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 b (new)
Citation 19 b (new)
- having regard to the Convention of Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, adopted on 25 June 1998 in Aarhus by the United Nation Economic Commission for Europe,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas deforestation influences the rainfall regime, the natural regulation of water flows in forests has been evaluated to be between 1360 and 5235 USD (value of 2007) 1a per hectare per year, and this "natural service" is heavily impacted by deforestation and will lead to an increase of costs; _________________ 1aCook, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2005
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. Whereas deforestation is the most serious threat for 85% of threatened or endangered species and whereas between 1970 and 2012, already 58% of vertebrate animals disappeared from the surface of the globe due to deforestation1b; _________________ 1b“living planet 2016”, WWF, Zoological society of London, Stockholm Resilience Centre
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. Whereas the destruction of wildlife habitats such as forests facilitates the spread of viruses, whereas FAO confirms that the increase in emerging infectious diseases coincides with the accelerated growth of tropical deforestation, linked in particular to the planting of oil palm or soybean1c; _________________ 1cBruce A. Wilcox and Brett Ellis, Center for Infectious Disease Ecology, Asia- Pacific Institute for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA; 2006
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. Whereas in order to help tackle the biodiversity loss and climate crises, it is essential that forests are protected and restored in such a way as to maximise their capacity for carbon storage and biodiversity protection; whereas this is a win-win solution since favouring the growth of existing forests to their maximum carbon storage potential whilst restoring previously degraded ecosystems and allowing organic material to decompose also protects biodiversity, as well as soil, air, land, and water;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. Whereas Union consumption is estimated to contributes to at least 10% of global deforestation;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that approximately 80% of global deforestation is caused by the expansion of land used for agriculture; stresses that according to the World Bank2a, mining industries such as gold and diamonds extraction are responsible for nearly 7% of global deforestation in addition to extractive industries such as oil and gas exploitation which contribute to forest degradation ; reminds that dams 2b are also a major driver of deforestation resulting in biodiversity loss, stresses in this context that the Commission Communication on Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests of July 2019 recognises that Union demand for products such as palm oil, meat, soy, cocoa, maize, timber, rubber, including in the form of processed products or services, is a large driver of deforestation, forest degradation, ecosystem destruction and human rights violations across the globe; _________________ 2aSee https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/low- carbon-future-must-protect-worlds- forests. 2b 40 to 80 million people have already lost their homes because of dams and 500 to 750 million others are threatened because living close to downstream rivers. In the Amazon only, 10% of fishes are endangered by dams. Some reservoirs are estimated to contribute to climate change 40% more than a coalmine of equal size. In total, dams are responsible for 4% of CO2 emissions globally. (World Wildlife Fund: Living Amazon Report 2016. A regional approach to conservation in the Amazon.) See http://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/do wnloads/wwf_living_amazon__report_201 6_mid_res_spreads_1.pdf.
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights the fact that global deforestation and forest degradation are serious problems; points out that policy initiatives should be developed to tackle issues outside the EU, with a focus on the tropics and the drivers of unsustainable practices in forests from outside the sector; stresses the need to review the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) action plan in order to allow a better prevention of the entry of illegally sourced wood into the EU market; calls on the Commission to present a new horizontal legislative proposal on mandatory due diligence requirements to ensure that global supply chains and financial flows only support legal, sustainable and deforestation-free production and do not result in human rights violations;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses the need to reduce the EU's consumption in general, and also of wood and wood-based products by promoting a more circular economy and prioritising the most efficient use of wood which allows for the locking-in of carbon over the long-term and minimises the generation of waste;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes that the European Parliament has adopted, since December 2015, 40 objections to the import of genetically modified (GM) food and feed, of which 11 were to GM soy imports; reminds that one of the reasons for objecting to these imports was the deforestation associated with their cultivation in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, where the soy is almost exclusively genetically modified to be used with pesticides; notes that a recent peer- reviewed scientific study by researchers across the Union found that the Union has the largest carbon footprint in the world due to soy imports from Brazil, 13,8% larger than those to China, the largest soy importer worldwide; notes that this large Union carbon footprint is due to its share of emissions from embodied deforestation 4a; notes further that, according to the Commission, soy has historically been the Union’s number one contributor to global deforestation and related emissions, accounting for nearly half of the deforestation embodied in all Union imports4b; _________________ 4aEscobar, N., Tizado, E. J., zu Ermgassen, E. K.,Löfgren, P., Börner, J., & Godar, J. (2020). Spatially-explicit footprints of agricultural commodities: Mapping carbon emissions embodied in Brazil's soy exports. Global Environmental Change, 62, 102067 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti cle/pii/S0959378019308623 4bTechnical Report - 2013 - 063 of the Commission, ‘The impact of EU consumption on deforestation: Comprehensive analysis of the impact of EU consumption on deforestation’, study funded by the European Commission, DG ENV, and undertaken by VITO, IIASA, HIVA and IUCN NL, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/p df/1.%20Report%20analysis%20of%20im pact.pdf, pp. 23-24
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes business’ growing awareness of the problem of global deforestation and ecosystem destruction, the need for corporate action and corresponding commitments; emphasises, however, that companies’ voluntary anti- deforestation commitments often only cover parts of their supply chains and werhave, as of yet, not sufficient to halthalted their corresponding global deforestation;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that third-party certification schemes have played an important role in bringing together business and civil society to develop a common understanding of the problem of deforestation; observes, however, that voluntary third-party certification schemes alone, to date, are not effective in halting and reversing global deforestation; and need to be complemented by mandatory measures; notes that voluntary third-party certification can be an auxiliary tool to assess and mitigate deforestation risks when designed and implemented well with regard to the sustainability criteria it is based on, the robustness of the certification and accreditation process, independent monitoring, possibilities to monitor the supply chain, and sound requirements to protect primary forests and promote sustainable forest managementother natural forests;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Criticises that third-party certification and labels alone unduly shift the responsibility to decide whether to purchase deforestation-free products to the consumers; therefore emphasises that third- party certification can only be complementary to, but cannot replace, thorough operators’ due diligence processes of companiesand their environmental liability, in accordance with the ‘polluter pays’ principle enshrined in Article 191 TFEU;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the intention of the Commission to tackle global deforestation and forest degradation but asks for a more ambitious policy approach; calls on the Commission to present a proposal for an EU legal framework based on mandatory due diligence, reporting, disclosure and third- party participation requirements, as well as liability and penalties in case of breaches of obligations for all companies placing for the first time on the Union market commodities with the highestentailing forest and ecosystem risks and products derived from these commodities, and access to justice and remedy for victims of breaches of these obligations; traceability obligations should be placed on traders on the Union market, to ensure sustainable and deforestation-free value chains, as laid down in the Annex to this resolution; emphasises that the same legal framework should apply to Union-basedall financial institutions authorised to operate in the Union and that are providing money to companies that harvest, extract, produce or process forest and ecosystem-risk commodities and derived products;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to apply the “do-no-harm principle” and urges the Commission to rapidly ensure the full consistency of existing and future trade and investment agreements and other global regulations with the international environmental and climate goals, in particular the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and include binding provisions to end land grabbing and deforestation;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that forest and ecosystem-risk commodities covered by this EU legal framework should be determined on the basis of objective and science-based considerations that such commodities pose high risks forare associated with the destruction and degradation of forests and high-carbon stock and biodiversity-rich ecosystems, as well as for the rights of indigenous people and human rights in general;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that such an EU legal framework should also be applied to all extractives industries and to dams projects;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that local communities, indigenous peoples, land and environmental defenders often are on the frontline of the fights to preserve ecosystems; reminds that the full enjoyment of human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development should be guaranteed to all, and that no one should be penalized, persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement in activities aimed at protecting the environment; calls on the Union and the Member States to support, at the next UN General Assembly, the global recognition of the right to a healthy environment; is concerned that the degradation and destruction of forests and other valuable ecosystems frequently goes along with human rights violations or follows from it; urges, therefore, to include the protection of human rights, in particular land tenure, land and labour rights, with a special view to the rights of iIndigenous peoplPeoples and local communities, within the future EU legal framework; calls on the Commission to set up a rapid response mechanism at Union level to support environmental defenders across the world;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that these obligations should apply to all companies placing forest and ecosystem-risk commodities (FERC) on the Union market, irrespective of their size or place of registration; believes that in a fragmented end-market, the inclusion of smaller and larger companies is key to ensure both large-scale impact and consumer trust; emphasises that the regulatory framework must not give rise to undue burdens on small and medium-sized producers including smallholders or prevent their access to markets and international trade; recognises, therefore, that due diligence, reporting and disclosure requirements must be proportionate to the level of risks associated with the given commodities;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Welcomes the creation of a forest observatory to collect data and information on deforestation in Europe as well as globally, and calls for this observatory to establish a mechanism to protect forest defenders;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines that the impact of the Union’s consumption of forest and ecosystem-risk commodities, needs to be adequately addressed in any follow-up, regulatory or non-regulatory, actions and measures to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and Farm to Fork Strategy as well as in the CAP reform and the European Green Deal; in that regard, calls on the EU to adopt a strategy to reduce meat and dairy consumption; calls on the Union to cut dependency on imports of forest and ecosystem-risk commodities by promoting locally-sourced plant protein, pasture- based grazing, legal and sustainably sourced feed, namely by implementing the Union protein plan, and enacting a policy that ensures Union livestock production matches available Union land resources; notes, in this regard, that soya and palm oil products originating in deforested land that are used for feed for EU animals are significant drivers of largescale ecosystem conversion; stresses also the need to focus on shorter supply chains of protein crops, and meat and dairy products, to the advantage of food sovereignty both in the EU and its partners;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 15 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on the Commission to adopt a climate and environment proof Multiannual Financial Framework; paying particular attention to the impact of external action funds that may contribute to deforestation and ecosystem degradation, as well as certain research and development funds; calls for a Green Deal Check of the MFF and all European budgets;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 15 – point 1 (new)
(1) Calls on the Commission to include binding due diligence measures related to forest and ecosystem-risk commodities (FERC) in EU public procurement legislation for all existing and future trade agreements with third countries; notes that the Mercosur-EU FTA is set to perpetuate the dependency of the Mercosur economies on the very activities that lead to deforestation; calls for the suspension of the EU-Mercosur agreement process until binding, enforceable and sanctionable provisions to address climate change, deforestation and ecosystem conversion, biodiversity loss and the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities have been comprehensively included;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 2 (new)
Paragraph 15 – point 2 (new)
(2) Calls on the Commission to propose a further amendment of the Renewable Energy Directive so that burning forest wood would no longer be incentivised nor eligible for meeting Member States' renewable energy targets;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 3 (new)
Paragraph 15 – point 3 (new)
(3) Calls on the Member States to recognise ecocides as criminal acts and to grant universal jurisdiction for these acts to their national jurisdictions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support amending the Statute of the International Criminal Court to recognise ecocides as criminal acts into its scope of action;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls for the EU to cut dependency on imports of forest/ecosystem-risk commodities by implementing the EU protein plan and to match available EU land resources for EU livestock production;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 1 – paragraph 2 – point b
Annex I – point 1 – paragraph 2 – point b
b. the supply practices and financing of all economic operators active on the Union internal market,
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 1 – paragraph 2 – point c
Annex I – point 1 – paragraph 2 – point c
c. production practices of economic operators harvesting, extracting, supplying, and processing forest and ecosystem-risk commodities (FERCs) or producing FERC- derived products in the Union internal market as well as the practices of their financiers;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 2 – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 2 – paragraph 1
The proposal should apply to all economic operators, irrespective of their legal form, size or complexity of their value chains, i.e. any natural or legal person (excluding non-commercial consumers) that places commodities that are covered by the proposal and their derived products on the Union internal market for the first time, including shipping companies, and economic operators that provide financing to operators undertaking these activities. This should apply to both Union and non- Union-based operators. Operators that are not based in the Union should mandate an authorised representative to perform the tasks (in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 of the European Parliament and of the Council1 ). _________________ 1Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on market surveillance and compliance of products and amending Directive 2004/42/EC and Regulations (EC) No 765/2008 and (EU) No 305/2011 (OJ L 169, 25.6.2019, p. 1).
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 2 – paragraph 6
Annex I – point 2 – paragraph 6
The proposal should equally apply to Union-basedall financial institutions authorised to operate in the Union and who are providing money, insurance or other services to economic operators that harvest, extract, produce, process or sell forest and ecosystem-risk commodities and their derived products.
Amendment 446 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 1
FERCs placed on the Union market, in raw form or as products derived from or containing such commodities, should not be harvested, extracted or produced from land obtained or used in violation of human rights embedded into national laws, nor those rights expressed, as a minimum, in the EU charter of fundamental rights and in international agreements, such as tenurhe rights, rights of indigenous people,s and local communities, including tenure rights and the procedural right to give or withhold their free prior and informed consent as set out for example by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the right to water, labour rights as and UN and regional treaty bodies, the right to water, the right to environmental protection and sustainable development, labour rights ; and that they should not be penalised, persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement in activities to protect the environment, labour rights as enshrined in ILO fundamental conventions and other internationally recognised human rights related to land use, access or ownership.
Amendment 451 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 2
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 2
At all stages, harvesting, extracting or producing covered commodities should respect local communities’ and indigenous peoples’ community and land tenure rights in all forms, whether they are public, private, communal, collective, indigenous, women’s or customary rights. Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ formal and customary rights to lands, territories and resources should be identified and respected, as should their ability to defend their rights without reprisals. Those rights include the rights to own, occupy, use and administer these lands, territories and resources.
Amendment 454 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 3
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 3
Commodities covered by the proposal should not be obtained from land whose acquisition and use affects community and land tenure rights. In particular, commodities placed on the Union market should not be harvested, extracted or produced from areas under local communities’ and indigenous peoples’ land and tenure rights in all forms and that have lost that status, unless this occurred in the presence of free, prior and informed consent of the local communities and indigenous peoples concernedlands of indigenous peoples and local communities - regardless of the legal status of ownership - without their free, prior and informed consent.
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Financial institutions providing finance, investment, insurance or other services to operators engaged in the supply chain of commodities also have a responsibility to undertake due diligence to ensure that supply chain companies are respecting their above-mentioned responsibilities on human rights.
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 1
Amendment 489 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point b – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point b – paragraph 1
Where an economic operator sets up new operations or engages new business partners, it should identify the actors involved in the new supply chain, and assess their policies and practices, as well as their harvesting, production, extraction and processing sites. For existing operations, ongoing adverse impacts and harms as well as potential risks should be identified and assessed. Risks analysis should be done with regard to the risks occurring from the economic operator’s activities to, or impact on, the environment, individuals or Indigenous Peoples and local communities affected, rather than material risk to corporate shareholders.
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point c – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point c – paragraph 1
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point e – introductory part
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point e – introductory part
e. Monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the adopted measures and continuously improve the effectiveness of their due diligence system
Amendment 511 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point e – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point e – paragraph 1
Economic operators should periodically check to see if their actions are actually reducing harmdue diligence system is fit for preventing harm and ensure the compliance of commodities and products with the framework and if not, adjust ithem or develop other actions. Thise evaluation of the due diligence system should be based on qualitative and quantitative indicators and, internal and external feedback and clear accountability processes.
Amendment 523 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point g – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.1 – paragraph 3 – point g – paragraph 1
The Union may negotiate Voluntary Partnership Agreements with FERC- producing countries (partner countries), which create a legally binding obligation for the parties to implement a licensing scheme and to regulate trade in FERCs in accordance with the national law of the FERC-producing country and the environmental and human rights criteria laid out in the proposal. FERCs which originate in partner countries with Voluntary Partnership Agreements should be considered to be of negligible risk for the purpose of the proposalas far as the partnership agreement is implemented for the purpose of the proposal. Voluntary Partnership Agreements could be negotiated between the Union and FERC-producing countries, to tackle supply-side drivers of deforestation such as weak forest and land governance, and lack of protection for community tenure rights. Such agreements should be based around national multi-stakeholder dialogues that give forest communities, small farmers and civil society a seat at the table to discuss and resolve matters of national law & policy.
Amendment 543 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.3 – paragraph 3
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.3 – paragraph 3
The Commission should adopt delegated acts to set out the format, the frequency and the elements of the reports. In particular, economic operators should, inter alia, report on the system they use and how they apply it to the commodities in question, identified risks and impacts; the actions taken to cease and remedy existing abuses and to prevent and mitigate risks of abuse, as well as their outcomes; the measures and results of monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of such actions, warnings received through the early-warning mechanism and how the economic operator took them into account in their due diligence processes, and a list of all subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers, products and their quantity and origin. A failure to publish complete and timely reports should be penalised.
Amendment 550 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.5 – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 4 – point 4.5 – paragraph 1
The Commission should develop voluntary guidance to supplement legal obligations contained in the proposal, in particular to clarify the due diligence expectations for specific contexts, sectors, or in relation to certain types of economic operators, and guidance how to integrate existing environmental management systems, such as the international environmental management standard ISO 14001 or the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), into an economicguidelines and guidance to facilitate compliance with the legal obligations contained in the proposal, for specific contexts, sectors, or in relation to certain types of economic operators, and guidance how to integrate specific concerns into an operator’s due diligence processes.
Amendment 559 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
a. Providing for proportionate, effective and dissuasive penalties and sanctions for non-compliance with any of the above-mentioned obligations an. Heavier penalties should be applied where non- compliance with any of the above- mentioned obligations causes, contributes to, is linked to, or aggravates, abuses or the risk of environmental damage or human rights abuses. These cshould include:
Amendment 566 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
i. monetary penalties proportionate to the environmental or human rights damage, the value of the commodities and derived products at hand, and the tax lossescost of environmental and human rights restoration and economic detrimentprejudice resulting from the infringement; to the affected communities
Amendment 570 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point b
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.1 – paragraph 1 – point b
Amendment 591 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.2 – point c – paragraph 1
Annex I – point 5 – point 5.2 – point c – paragraph 1