Worldwide, forests are being lost at the alarming rate of 800 football fields per hour. With deforestation being a critical contributor to climate change and a leading cause of biodiversity loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that a sustainable future cannot be achieved without tackling deforestation and taking measures to protect- and sustainably manage forests.&nbsp; The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)&nbsp;estimates&nbsp;that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the EU — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. It is estimated that&nbsp;EU consumption represents around 10% of global deforestation.

&nbsp;In October 2020, Parliament made use of its&nbsp;prerogative in the Treaty&nbsp;to ask the Commission to&nbsp;come forward with legislation to halt EU-driven global deforestation.

MEPs have already called for strengthening the overall climate benefits from forests and the forest-based value chain, namely CO2 absorption and carbon storage in wood-based products. Parliament also emphasises the need to increase funding for research into the substitution of fossil fuels and fossil-fuel materials. Forests and the entire forest-based value chain are fundamental to further develop of the circular bio-economy, which delivers important climate change mitigation and adaptation services.Parliament wants binding targets to protect and restore forest ecosystems, especially primary forests (those that have not been been affected by people's actions in recent times).

Forest protection

EP Plenary session - Commission statement - Consequences of the devastating forest fires in the Amazon and the importance of the Amazon for climate change

EP Plenary session - Deforestation Regulation

EP Plenary session  - Deforestation Regulation

EP Plenary session  - New EU forest strategy for 2030 – sustainable forest management in Europe

Press conference by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), rapporteur on the new regulation to stop EU-driven global deforestation. The new law obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world.The new regulation, already agreed with EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Before such products can be placed on the EU market, companies must verify and issue a so-called “due diligence” statement that the products have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), rapporteur on the new regulation to stop EU-driven global deforestation

MEPs vote on the following subjects: Amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure concerning question time, the central rostrum, the blue-card procedure, the explanations of votes, the transparency register and the Ombudsman; Protocol Amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization; Deforestation regulation; Methods and procedure for making available own resources based on the Emissions Trading System, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and reallocated profits and on the measures to meet cash requirements; Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive - Motions for resolutions; Challenges facing the Republic of Moldova- Motions for resolutions; Rule of Law in Greece - Motions for resolutions; Rule of Law in Spain - Motions for resolutions; Rule of Law in Malta - Motions for resolutions

Voting session, including the vote on Deforestation regulation

MEPs debate on a new law obliging companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world. The new regulation, already agreed with the EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Closing statement by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur and by Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.

Deforestation Regulation: closing statement by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur and by Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety

MEPs debate on a new law obliging companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world.The new regulation, already agreed with EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Before such products can be placed on the EU market, companies must verify and issue a so-called “due diligence” statement that the products have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world. Extracts from the debate and statement by Christophe HANSEL (EPP, LU), Rapporteur.

Deforestation regulation: statement by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur, extracts from the debate

MEPs debate on a new law obliging companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world. The new regulation, already agreed with the EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper.

Deforestation Regulation: MEPs debate

MEPs debate on a new law obliging companies to ensure products sold in the EU do not come from deforested land anywhere in the world. The new regulation, already agreed with the EU member states, helps fight climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Opening statements by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur, Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), ITRE Committee; Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), INTA Committee, Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), DEVE; Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI) AGRI Committee.

Deforestation Regulation: opening statement by Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), Rapporteur, Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), Stella KYRIAKIDES, EU Commissioner for Health, Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, DE), Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI)

An area larger than the EU was lost to deforestation from 1990 to 2020, with EU consumption causing around 10% of losses. A new law on deforestation-free products will make obligatory for companies to issue a so-called “due diligence” statement that goods on the EU market have not led to deforestation or forest degradation anywhere in the world. The largest share of EU-driven deforestation commodities are: palm oil (33,95%), soy (32,83%), wood (8,62%), cocoa (7,54%), coffee (7,01%) and beef (5,01%. This infoclip shows footgae of a person unpacking common groceries deriving from these commodities, a child consuming chocolate spread without palm oil as well as footage of deforestaion in Brazil.

Infoclip: Common products associated with deforestation and forest degradation

Press conference by Christophe HANSEN, (EPP,LU), rapporteur

Deforestation regulation: Press conference by Christophe HANSEN, (EPP,LU), rapporteur

&lt;p>MEPs vote on the following items: Macro-financial assistance to Ukraine; Responsible private funding of litigation - Axel VOSS (EPP, DE); Uniform procedures for checks on the transport of dangerous goods by road (codification) - Angel DZHAMBAZKI (ECR,BG); Conclusion of the amendments to the International Sugar Agreement, 1992 - Bernd LANGE (S&amp;D, DE); EU/Mauritius Fisheries Partnership Agreement: fishing opportunities and financial contribution 2017-2021. Extension of the Protocol - Izaskun BILBAO BARANDICA (Renew, ES); Draft amending budget no 2 to the general budget 2022 entering the surplus of the financial year 2021 - Karlo RESSLER (EPP, HR); Amendments to the Capital Requirements Regulation in the area of resolution (“daisy chain” proposal) - Jonás FERNÁNDEZ (S&amp;D, ES); Interim report on the 2021 proposal for a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework - Jan OLBRYCHT (EPP, PL) and Margarida MARQUES (S&amp;D, PT);&lt;/p>

Voting session, including Macro-financial assistance to Ukraine

The Environment Committee of the European Parliament debates with Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, about the proposed new legislation that the European Parliament called for in order to stop EU-driven global deforestation and forest degradation by obliging companies placing products on the EU market to carry out due diligence. Extracts from the exchange of views and statement by rapporteur Delara BURKHARDT (S&D,DE).

European Parliament's legislative proposal to reduce the risk of deforestation/forest degradation: extracts from exchange of views between ENVI Committee and Virginijus Sinkevičius Commissioner for Environment, statement by rapporteur Delara BURKHARD

European Parliament's legislative proposal to reduce the risk of deforestation/forest degradation: extracts from exchange between ENVI Committee and Virginijus Sinkevičius Commissioner for Environment, statement by rapporteur Delara BURKHARDT (S&D,DE

Forests are essential for our health and wellbeing, and the health of the planet. They are rich in biodiversity and are hugely important in the fight against climate change. The new EU forest strategy for 2030 is one of the flagship initiatives of the European Green Deal and builds on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. This Infoclip illustrates heathy and green forest, nature, undergrowth, deforestation, burn wood after fire forest, wood transformation and storage

Infoclip: Forest strategy

This Infoclip illustrates sustainable wood for construction the franework of the European Green Deal programme, starting with images of the forest, showing the stockage and use of certified wood for contstruction, as example the recently finished Gare Maritime at "Tour & Taxis" in Brussels

Infoclip: Green Deal - Sustainable wood for construction

To illustrate the EU forest strategy and the EU project of planting 2 billon trees around Europe, we have filmed the initiative of Jane Goodall Institute Belgium for planting 18.000 trees in 3 locations in Belgium. This infoclip was filmed in Hoeselt region where they were planted 8800 trees on the 2/02 February.

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