In a recent EU law proposal adopted by the European Parliament a few weeks ago, common commodities such as coffee, soy, and palm oil, whose production contributes to deforestation, may face potential bans. And guess what? Sweden intends to vote against this crucial initiative, one more irresponsible decision by the Swedish government.
According to a statement made to Sveriges Radio Ekot by Minister of Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren from the Christian Democrats party, the proposal is deemed "too complex". He argues that the legislation in the deforestation regulation must be easily understandable, enforceable, and verifiable. What Peter Kullgren is saying is that it's too complex to check the origin of products and create a process for that, so let's not do it 🤷♀️ Imagine living in his and the government's world, where when things are too complex you just don't do them...
By opposing the proposal, Sweden is disregarding the urgent need to combat deforestation and its far-reaching environmental consequences. Numerous everyday food items are cultivated and produced in ways that lead to the destruction of rainforests, which the EU aims to prevent through this new legislation.
The new legislation obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation. While no country or commodity will be banned, companies will only be allowed to sell products in the EU if the supplier of the product has issued a so-called "due diligence" statement confirming that the product does not come from deforested land or has led to forest degradation, including of irreplaceable primary forests. In addition to these requirements, companies must also verify that the products comply with the relevant legislation of the country of production, including human rights standards, and ensure that the rights of affected indigenous people have been respected. The legislation covers various products, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, and wood, as well as their derivatives such as leather, chocolate, furniture, rubber, charcoal, printed paper products, and several palm oil derivatives.
The Council of the European Union is set to vote on the proposal on Tuesday and Sweden has already signaled its intention to reject it, as reported by Sveriges Radio Ekot. By opposing the EU's efforts to combat deforestation, Sweden undermines once again its own environmental and climate ambitions and sends a troubling message regarding its stance on global environmental responsibility.
Per Larsson, a forest expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), expresses disappointment and questions Sweden's commitment to environmental and climate issues globally and within the EU. He states, "We are clearly disappointed that Sweden does not support this legislation and so clearly distances itself from it," in an interview with Ekot.
Parliament adopts new law to fight global deforestation | News | European Parliament
To fight climate change and biodiversity loss, the new law obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230414IPR80129/parliament-adopts-new-law-to-fight-global-deforestation
Produkter som skördar regnskog kan förbjudas – trots svenska protester - Nyheter (Ekot)
Kaffe, palmolja och en rad andra varor som odlas på ett sådant sätt att de bidrar till avskogning kan förbjudas inom EU enligt ett lagförslag som ministerrådet ...
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/produkter-som-skordar-regnskog-kan-forbjudas-trots-svenska-protester
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Dear Sarah Chabane Thank you for getting your climate warning to level 2! We have reached out to Peter Kullgren and requested a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! /Adam We Don't Have Time
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Challenging this initiative is unquestionably ferocious and unreasonable
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too irresponsible for the Swedish govt
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Surely!!!The Swedish govt should be probed for itsulterior motive to humper this initiative.
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this is irresponsible decision by the Swedish government,it must reconsider it
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@rukia_ahmed_abdi I concur,I would call it irresponsible too
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The government is playing a good game for voting against EU deforestation
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@ance_star a good game? What do you mean?
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Perfectly well played besides the Irish government which puts the negative interests of its citizens first.