Posted on February, 16 2021

WWF, together with the more than 160 NGOs and 1.1 million citizens mobilised through the #Together4Forests  campaign, sent a powerful message in 2020 through the European Commission’s public consultation on new  legislation to tackle EU-driven deforestation: The EU must stop being part of the problem, and become part of the solution. 

In 2021, the European Commission will propose new legislation to “minimise the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market”. A new EU law to protect the world’s forests is urgently needed. However, it also needs to be effective in ensuring commodities and products placed on the EU market are not linked to the destruction of forests and other natural ecosystems, such as grasslands, wetlands and mangroves.

This paper lays out WWF's position on the upcoming EU legislation, outlining the key elements it should include to holistically address EU-driven deforestation and nature destruction, and ensure that the production of commodities imported by the EU has not led to human rights violations.