PSOE, PP, Sumar, ERC and BNG commit to the fight against deforestation

PSOE, PP, Sumar, ERC and BNG commit to the fight against deforestation

• On the occasion of the general elections and coinciding with the day of entry into force of the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products, the Zero Deforestation Alliance organized yesterday a political debate entitled "The fight against deforestation in the elections of 23-J" with the participation of PSOE, PP, SUMAR, ERC and BNG.
• All participating political groups unanimously supported the EU Regulation to extend protection to biomes classified as “other forested areas” such as the Cerrado, the Caatinga, the Chaco or the Pantanal.
• The participants highlighted the pioneering nature of this Regulation and, if it reaches the Government, they committed to work on a coherent application of it, with the necessary budgetary resources so that the competent authority can carry out its control functions correctly.

In the political debate “The fight against deforestation in the elections of 23-J”, in which PSOE, PP, SUMAR, ERC and BNG participated, the parties announced their commitments to stop deforestation and protect forests and ecosystems, precisely on the day that the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) came into force.

Under the new law, companies will have to prove that their imports of beef, soy, palm oil, rubber, cocoa, coffee, wood and some of their derivative products are free of deforestation. In this way, the EU seeks to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global biodiversity loss.

All political representatives supported the Zero Deforestation Alliance's demand that the Regulation extend protection to other essential ecosystems such as the Cerrado savannah, the Caatinga, the Chaco or the Pantanal, which are suffering globally from the unprecedented advance of agribusiness. To do so, the first step will be to support the review of this regulation, scheduled for a year, to include "other forested areas" in its scope of application.

In the words of Eva Patricia Bueno, PSOE candidate for the Senate, “it is necessary to work on a productive model that does not go against nature.” She also highlighted the role that this law will play in this regard.

For his part, Diego Gago, representative of the PP at the table, commented that this Regulation “represents an environmental victory for the EU”. His party already supported the Non-Law Proposal presented by ERC in the last legislature so that this Regulation would be ambitious during the negotiation period.

Paz Serra, a Sumar candidate for Congress, stressed the decisive role of the European population in advancing environmental legislation. For the candidate, “deforestation brings us face to face with the footprint of consumption in Spain, which must also include imports of raw materials and products.”

María Dantas, a candidate for Congress for ERC, indicated that her party will continue to support stopping deforestation through parliamentary channels, as they did when they presented the PNL in relation to this Regulation in the last legislature.

For the BNG candidate for Congress, Nestor Rego, maximum support is needed in the implementation of the Regulation and, when it comes to appointing the authority in charge of monitoring the requirements of this legislation, it is necessary to act in compliance with the deadlines and powers of the regional administrations.

During the event, the Zero Deforestation Alliance presented its demands for this new legislation to guarantee European consumers that the products they buy do not destroy and degrade forests. According to its representatives, “commitment at the highest level is necessary and that Member States begin to work on its implementation as soon as it comes into force.”

Before 29 December, the governments of the Member States must designate a competent authority with the appropriate powers, functional independence and the necessary resources to ensure proper compliance with the Regulation. In the case of Spain, there should be coordination at state level between the ministry with competence in environmental matters and the departments with that responsibility within each autonomous community.

The regulatory and institutional framework for the correct application and compliance of the regulations in relation to the sanctioning regime, the annual control plans, the communication mechanisms with the customs authority, the coordination and cooperation between competent authorities and the transparency of the controls carried out will also have to be adopted.

The member organizations of the Alliance propose having a specific state law to combat deforestation to facilitate and unify all these requirements derived from the Regulation under a single regulation.

On the other hand, in the debate the political parties also presented their proposals for the agricultural and industrial sectors, closely linked to the import of raw materials associated with deforestation in third countries. This is the case of the manufacture of animal feed, the demand for which has increased due to the expansion of industrial livestock farming, or biofuels based on palm oil and soybeans, which generate three and two times more emissions than fossil diesel.

Regarding industrial livestock farming, for Sumar it is essential to support extensive livestock farming to promote local production and sustainable food systems. The PSOE highlighted its commitment to family farming and the circularity of the economy. BNG would support a moratorium on licenses for intensive industrial livestock farms and, along the same lines, the ERC representative also proposed reducing the intensive livestock population.

Regarding biofuels, the PP representative suggested that there is room for other fuels, such as those made from used oil, which do not involve deforestation and other problems. For its part, the BNG recalled that its party has previously requested in the Climate Change Law that energy crops be banned. For ERC, the elimination of the use of soya and palm oil in biofuels will be key.