Belgium: According to the European Commission, the European Union (EU) has reached an agreement to ban the import of several products considered the “main drivers of deforestation,” including coffee, cocoa and soy.

“The new law will ensure that a set of key goods placed on the (European Union) market will no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and elsewhere in the world,” the Commission stated.

“When the new rules enter into force, all relevant companies will have to conduct strict due diligence if they place on the EU market,”  the European Commission further added.

The law will apply to soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa and coffee, and some derived products including leather, chocolate and furniture, rubber, charcoal and some palm oil derivatives. Importing companies must demonstrate that they are not the result of deforestation, and they must also provide “precise geographical information on farmland” from where the commodities were sourced.

“This is a first in the world!” Mr. Pascal Canfin, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s environment committee, remarked.

“It’s the coffee we have for breakfast, the chocolate we eat, the coal in our barbecues, the paper in our books. This is radical,” the Chairman added.

The law had been proposed in November 2021 by the European Commission. The EU will now have to formally adopt the regulation before it can enter into force, and traders will have 18 months to implement the rules, as per the reports.

This week’s U.N. COP15 meeting will put a special emphasis on deforestation, which is a significant source of the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change. Countries will be seeking to reach a worldwide agreement to protect the environment.

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