Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-17-Speech-1-105-000"
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"en.20110117.14.1-105-000"2
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"Madam President, I would like to start by thanking the rapporteur, Mr Jadot, for his support for the Voluntary Partnership Agreements on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade with Congo and Cameroon. I hope this House will follow the recommendations for consent to conclude these two agreements. This would also encourage the parliaments in both Cameroon and Congo to complete their consideration.
There is a definite cost in terms of resources. Between 2002 and 2008, the EU contributed EUR 544 million to forestry in general in the developing world, some of it directed to FLEGT work in individual countries. The Commission has so far spent a further EUR 35 million to support FLEGT more generally, and we will spend EUR 35 million more between 2011 and 2013. I would emphasise, too, that Member States also make fiscal contributions.
We have also dedicated human resources to the implementation of FLEGT. I have seven civil servants dealing with this, and they are working closely with the European Forest Institute and national forest authorities.
An additional effort has been made in the form of the Illegal Timber Regulation, adopted in 2010 as a key element of the FLEGT action plan, and this will complement the VPA approach. It will discourage unregulated, unsustainable exploitation of forests.
The recent agreement in Cancún on action to reduce emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation (known as ‘REDD’) will facilitate further Commission support for developing countries. Our future work on forest governance through VPAs will be helped by the fact that REDD makes provision for governance and for observance of the rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities.
I take note of the human rights situation in partner countries. I agree with the draft motion for a resolution that the Commission should continue to focus on these issues. I can assure you that we keep human rights issues at the centre of our political dialogue with the partner countries, and I can assure you that the fight against corruption is one of the issues we address when dealing with the partner countries.
But I would emphasise one particular point that represents encouragement for the whole process: the fact that partner countries feel engaged. Without real engagement from our partner countries, given all the weaknesses at administrative level, we cannot protect forests more effectively.
I know that this is the start of the process, but it is a start being made by both sides, and I am always ready to come to Parliament to report on how the implementation is going. However, with FLEGT, we are definitely not taking a wrong step. It is a step in the right direction: we are not increasing the risk. Perhaps we are not providing entirely sufficient solutions, but at least it is a decent step that we can be proud of.
It is important that both the European Union and our partner countries endorse the VPAs, since illegal logging is a problem for all. I know that illegal logging is just the visible tip of the iceberg. Basically, we are talking about starting to work together for sustainable management of forestry resources. And, to answer one of the rapporteur’s suggestions immediately, I could say that, yes, I am ready to come here every six months, as Parliament calls me, to monitor the implementation of these agreements.
It is true that this is a commitment. There are risks but this is the only way, in my opinion, to achieve really sustainable management of this resource, because if we do not do this, we will not manage to be successful through declarations alone.
For our partner countries, there is a lot of commitment, but I believe that one important factor is the loss that results from illegal logging. Each year, USD 10-15 billion is lost in revenue. Illegal logging also has extremely negative consequences for indigenous peoples, for biodiversity and in terms of climate change.
At the same time, it is also important to emphasise that the EU is one of the biggest markets for tropical wood. This means that our approach is extremely important in how the whole issue is being addressed. Of the tropical wood arriving in the EU, 20% comes from illegal sources, so we have an obligation to ensure that we source only legal wood.
The climate change issue is another concern for everyone, and the protection of forests needs to start somewhere. It is very simple to say that we need to pay to protect forests: it is a simple formula, but applying it requires a lot of commitment from both sides.
I shall try to answer a couple of questions that have been put to me. On enforcement and implementation, the VPA establishes a joint committee to monitor implementation of the agreement. It will also establish an independent audit to analyse the legality assurance system and its effectiveness and efficiency. There is also an annual reporting mechanism, and the annual report will be made public and will definitely be available to the European Parliament.
Moreover, in preparation for the VPAs, we have involved civil society and indigenous peoples. Until now, they had been completely left out of the process, so we have agreed, under the new agreements, to set up multi-stakeholder committees to monitor, or guide, the implementation process where indigenous people are involved.
In addition, the VPAs include a complaints mechanism, and the independent auditor will have access to, and will rely on, information from a wide array of sources, including civil society and communities."@en1
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