A roadmap for implementing a forest partnership between the EU and the Republic of Congo has been signed by the European Commission’s environment chief Virginijus Sinkevicius.
The EU-Congo Forest Partnership aims to safeguard Congolese forests from deforestation, in line with the aims of the EU’s deforestation regulation.
“Today’s roadmap will result in a strengthened dialogue between our countries in addressing deforestation and forest degradation in Congo and working towards a sustainable forest economy,” said Sinkevicius in a statement.
Key aspects of the partnership cover:
- Geolocation requirements in supply chains
- Inclusion of smallholders
- Combining agriculture and trees
- Traceability schemes
EU member states and the Republic of Congo have “worked hard” to develop the roadmap over the “last few months”, a Commission spokesperson told Carbon Pulse.
“The roadmap details the key interventions under the different workstreams. It frames the cooperation and the dialogue around the Forest Partnership,” they told Carbon Pulse.
The partnerships aim to go beyond the economic values of trade to strengthen partnerships with countries, they said.
“Beyond contributing to biodiversity and climate objectives, the forest partnerships add value to partners’ forest sector – increasing the number of decent jobs linked to forests and promoting sustainable trade in forest products.”
Sinkevicius signed the partnership on the margins of this week’s Summit of the Three Basins of Biodiversity Ecosystems and Tropical Forests in Brazzaville, Congo.
“The regions of the Three Basins account for two thirds of the planet’s biodiversity. As such, their environmental protection is essential for the successful implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” the European Commission said in a press release.
“These tropical forests also serve an important purpose as carbon sinks, which makes them an important asset in the fight against climate change.”
The summit, which ends tomorrow, has brought together representatives from the Three Basins from the regions of the Amazon, Congo, Borneo and Greater Mekong in Southeast Asia.
At COP27 UN climate talks last November, the EU signed memoranda of understanding for forest partnerships with Guyana, Mongolia, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as the Republic of Congo.
The EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains, which came into force in June, requires companies with links to cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya, and wood to prove their products are not related to deforestation.
By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com
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