Activities of Nikolaj VILLUMSEN related to 2019/2156(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the EU’s role in protecting and restoring the world’s forests
Amendments (29)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
— having regard to the draft feasibility study on options to step up EU action against deforestation, commissioned by the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment (20178),
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal (2019/2956 (RSP), which calls on the Commission to present, without delay, a proposal for a European legal framework based on due diligence to ensure sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains for products placed on the EU market;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 b (new)
Citation 15 b (new)
- having regard to the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024, the EU External Policy on Indigenous Peoples (2016), and recalling the European Council Conclusions on Indigenous Peoples (2017) and the EU Consensus for Development in support of good governance of tenure and Indigenous Peoples’ rights (2017);
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas forests are home to more than 75% of terrestrial biodiversity making protection and restoration a key element, not only in halting the loss of biodiversity but also in fighting and mitigating climate change;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas forests directly sustain millions of people’s livelihoods, including those of indigenous peoples and local communities, who have traditionally inhabited forests;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, despite all efforts so far, conservation and, sustainable use of the world’s forests and the protection of indigenous peoples and local communities cannot be adequately ensured by current policies;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas stepping up action to first protect existing forests and actively and sustainably restore forest ecosystems, and secondly to create new forest coverage, has to play a crucial role in the EU’s sustainability policies;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU is also indirectly involved in the deforestation and, degradation of world forests, including through the agricultural practices, the consumption of products related to deforestation and through investments and trade agreements;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU is alsoboth directly and indirectly involved in the deforestation and, degradation and conversion of world forests, including through the consumption of products related to deforestation;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas by contributing to the deforestation, degradation and conversion of world forests, the EU takes part in exacerbating the threat posed to indigenous peoples and local communities, who are met with human rights violations, attacks, and killings in response to their efforts to protect their forests, land, and environment;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas increased protection of forests provides opportunities for economic development, particularly for indigenous peoples and at the level of local communities;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas climate change, the worldwide loss of biodiversity, as well as the destruction and modification of natural habitats, including forests, greatly increase the risk of new zoonic diseases;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the amount of EU funding provided to support forests and sustainable forest management in partner countries is insufficient given the scale of the problem; whereas the objective of protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, including forests, must be better integrated in all relevant EU programs;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Agrees with the priorities for stepping up EU action presented in COM(2019)352; notes, however, that the EU should be more ambitious; underlines the importance of swift and comprehensive action as well as for new legislative measures to be effective, complementary, enforceable, and include monitoring;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the crucial role of indigenous peoples and local communities, including women, in the protection of the world’s forests; recognises the threats and human right violations they are facing and calls on the Commission to take this role into account in the design, adoption, implementation and enforcement of forest protection measures, both at EU level, in partner countries, in dialogue with other consumer countries and in key international forums;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the role of civil society, particularly indigenous peoples and local communities, in environmental protection and sustainable consumption and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure transparency and public participation at all levels in forest-related measures in order to promote forest protection of forest and human rights;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that a single definition of the concept of non- deforestation- free supply chain is central to addressing the problem of commodities contributing to deforestation, and calls on the Commission to propose such a definition; underlines that such definition must also include degradation and conversion of forests and should include deforestation of ecosystems not qualifying as forests; in this regard, urges the Commission to include the protection of human rights in the definition;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that, in light of the alarming rate of biodiversity loss as well as the climate emergency, the introduction of a system based on voluntary, labelling or certification of deforestation-free products would not be sufficient;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends thatCalls on the Commission pay particular attention to the possibilities ofto present without delay, a comprehensive European legal framework regulating access to the Union market, in order to promote non-deforestation products, including the possibility of introducing due diligence regulation for forest-risk commoditiesensure that only products free from deforestation and human rights violation are placed on the EU market, including by introducing due diligence and legally binding sustainability measures; highlights in this regard the importance of enforceability; underlines that the above obligations must also apply to the financial sector;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the private sector to be more involved in the fight against deforestation; calls, at the same time, on the Commission to step up cooperation with the private sector and to develop appropriate instruments to incentivise volunteers based on the principle of shared responsibilitytake responsibility and end any deforestation and/or human rights violations throughout their supply chains and investments, and fulfil without further delay their zero deforestation commitments while ensuring full transparency on their compliance with their commitments; calls, in this regard for the establishment of an independent compliance mechanism, where complaints of non-compliance filed by stakeholders (e.g. local communities) are independently investigated; calls on the Commission to encourage companies to transition to global sustainable supply chains;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recognises that the EU livestock sector is a significant driver for deforestation, degradation and conversion of the world's forests as it relies heavily on the import of deforestation-related commodities such as soy, palm oil and maize; calls therefore, on the Commission to take steps to enhance policies and the legal framework to strongly reduce imports of high-risk commodities; calls on the Commission to present a plan promoting plant based diets;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the Commission's plan to ensure that the topic of deforestation is part of country-level political dialogues and, but recommends that the Commission include thestead formalise partnership agreements that include the protection of forests and promotion of human rights, in particular the rights of indigenous peoples and, local communities, as well as support fornd women; highlights the importance of support for and participation by civil society and environmentalists in these dialogues;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the Commission's plan to help partner countries develop and implement national frameworks for forests and their sustainable management, but considers that such assistance should produce measurable results demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and recommends that the Commission include this aspect in its reflections and action while recognising the land tenure rights of indigenous peoples and local communities; recalls in this regard the importance of supporting civil society actors in partner countries;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the Commission's plan to strengthen cooperation on policies and measures to protect the world’s forests in key international forums, and calls on the Commission to endeavour to cooperate with these forums with a view, inter alia, to harmonising the terminology and concepts in use (e.g. sustainable forest management or deforestation-free supply chaisupply chains free of deforestation and human rights violations) and to ensuring the coherence of the policies and measures adopted;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all newly adopted trade agreements, both comprehensive and relevant sub- agreements, contain legally binding provisions relating to forests and human rights, effective enforcement mechanisms, and safeguards to prevent them from being implemented in a manner that could lead to deforestation and forest degradation;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recommends thatCalls on the Commission to assess the possibility of including forestlegally binding and enforceable forest and human rights protection provisions in existing trade agreements which do not yet contain such provisions;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the impact of trade agreements on the state of forests and human rights is systematically evaluated in the framework of sustainability impact assessments and other relevant assessment methods, making sure all stakeholders are included and that the conclusions of these assessments are subsequently taken into account when deciding whether to conclude such agreementsbefore such agreements can be concluded;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers it necessary to redirect financial flows, both private and public, in the relevant industrial sectors towards activities that do not cause deforestation; believes it also necessary to introduce an enforceable European legal framework that commits the financial sector to ensure that investments and financing are not enabling or promoting deforestation, forest degradation and conversion or human rights violations;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission and Member States to integrate forest and human rights-related elements systematically into development policies and all investment and support programmes aimed at producer countries,; and to consider makingmake investments and support conditional on compliance with these elements;