Stéphanie Kpénou will be speaking at a webinar organised by SME Connect on 5 April from 10 to 11:30.

End of last year, the Commission released its proposed regulation to tackle EU imports from commodities and products linked with deforestation or forest degradation such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, and other derived products. This proposed regulation sets binding due diligence requirements for companies wishing to place these goods on the EU market to ensure that only deforestation-free and legal products are allowed on the EU market. Within this, it is also expected to bring down greenhouse gas emission and biodiversity loss. The open public consultation launched by the Commission was seen as the second most popular consultation in EU history with 1,2 million supporters to tackle forest degradation and deforestation. However, this regulation will also put a burden on both the producing countries and the companies due to the implementation of due diligence system and monitoring strategies.

With ongoing debates between the Member States, and starting soon in the European Parliament, this webinar will bring together decision and policy makers, experts and stakeholders to discuss the benefits and the pitfalls of the proposed regulation as well as to shed some lights on the importance of sustainable eating.

Program
– Welcome, DR. HORST HEITZ, Chair of the Steering Committee, SME Connect
– Introduction,CHRISTINE SCHNEIDER MEP, ENVI & AGRI Committees; Opinion Shadow Rapporteur Deforestation legal framework to halt and reverse EU-driven global deforestation; Chair of the SMEC Working Group Health & Nutrition
– Keynote, ARNOLD PUECH D’ALISSAC, Vice-President Group 1 Employers, European Economic and Social Committee; Opinion, Rapporteur “Minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the
EU market”
– DEBATE with NICOLE POLSTERER, Sustainable Consumption and Production Campaigner, Fern, KAJA BLUMTRITT, Law & Policy Advisor, Forest-risk Commodities, Client Earth, STÉPHANIE KPENOU, Advocacy Officer for Trade Policy Reform, Veblen Institute, DR. EMANUELE ZANNINI, Smart Protein Project Coordinator, Smart Protein

Registration