A former EU environment commissioner has warned against backsliding in the protection of nature and the fight against the climate crisis, after he decided to delay his border restrictions. Deforestation law.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Lithuanian MEP and vice-president of the Green group of the European Parliament, said that he disagreed with the plan to amend the law on deforestation, to give companies a year extra time to ensure that their products are not involved in the killing of trees.
Every European law “was born out of very difficult negotiations where everyone has to give in a little,” he told the Guardian. “The last-minute change does not give credibility to the decision-making of the EU”.
Sinkevičius, who was the EU’s environment commissioner for almost five years until July, was the author of legislation that would block the sale in the EU of commodities linked to deforestation such as cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil and rubber, as well as products, including chocolate, leather and utensils
The last month, the The EU agreed to a one-year delay The law was later heavily lobbied by the industry and forest regions around the world. Sinkevičius said that problems with the implementation of the law could have been devised during the grace period, rather than reframing the situation between EU legislators. “That additional year was a bit of a reward for those who did not try to comply with the laws,” he said.
Some of the largest companies said that they expected to apply the law, which means “fair competition”. He said that businesses that paid attention to deforestation were trying to avoid additional costs, against competitors who were “cutting corners” in the protection of nature and yet “being on the same shelf in the shop”.
In 2023, 6.37m hectares of forests will be lost worldwide due to livestock sublimation, crop, mining, road building or devastating fires among other causes; according to the Forest assessment statement.
Sinkevičius spoke at the beginning of the new five-year term for the European institutions, with increasing ad revolves around elements of the green agenda. MEPs in the European Parliament, which has a far lower number of lawyers, have slowed down. 2035 ban on the sale of commercial and diesel carsAnd suspending traffic pollution (a CO *2 reduced design) to heavy industry.
Speaking generally about green politicians, Sinkevičius said “it would be the biggest mistake to be able to switch gears now”, adding that the “clean industrial lot” promised by the new commission in its first 100 days would be “the first important test”. how we see our future economy.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, gave “a clean industrial deal” for “labor and quality gains”, although details remain sparse.
Sinkevičius was the youngest ever EU commissioner when he took charge of European policy on the environment, fisheries and oceans in 2019, at the age of 20. Protecting nature has always been an “uphill battle”, he said, because he sees fewer opportunities to conserve soil and forests; the seas and seas that place the energy of the world. But he expressed confidence that the new commission for the protection of nature had not been forgotten, despite the focus on s Europe’s sluggish economy.
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At that time von der Leyen was in charge. are scraped by the ambition to use the pesticide during the 2030 half”when angry with the farmers. Sinkevičius said he had always been critical of that goal, which he called “overkill.” He argues that the 50% reduction target is unfair in member states that have already reduced their use of pesticides; “When I cut 50% from the smallest number, that’s going to be very annoying … while I see my neighbor cut 50% from 20 times bigger [starting point]. It was also a big issue. And that’s why I advised us to find tailor-made solutions.
The pesticides draft lawin fact, due to differences in the historical use of pesticides, setting national targets, requiring different efforts, under the electronic goal of 50 reduction for the EU. When asked for a statement, he said that he was an assistant MEP through the previous statements.
As a former European commissioner who demanded to reject the party’s affiliation, Sinkevičius said he hoped to be a bridge between the Greens and other mainstream pro-EU groups in the European Parliament, the center-right European People’s Party, the Socialists and the center Innova group.
The Greens acknowledged they could be isolated if the centre-right wanted to look further for partners, but said: “If you want a truly pro-European coalition, the Greens are your answer because we are firm, we are confident.”