Caobisco joins major industry players seeking timely delivery of EUDR laws
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Caobisco, the key European confectionery, chocolate and biscuits trade body has joined the chorus of organisations that have called for the EU to fully adopt the landmark new environmental laws as soon as possible, in the wake of proposals for a year-long delay, writes Neill Barston.
As our title recently covered, the organisation, which played a pivotal role in the latest edition of our World Confectionery Conference last month, has taken a strong stance on stating that there should be no further re-opening of legislation, that has been devised to ensure companies are deforestation-free in their supply chains.
To the surprise of many market observers, the EU Commission put forward a 12-month delay to the regulations – which the likes of Tony’s Chocolonely and campaign group Mighty Earth have asserted will have an unacceptable level of forest loss implications. However, according to the European leadership group, a total of 20 countries within the trading bloc had signalled they were not ready for the new regulations – with guidance for the major new legal system only having been finally released by the EU two weeks ago.
For its part, Caobisco believed the legislation was essential and should be introduced as a matter of urgency. The group said: “We acknowledge the European Commission’s recent proposal for a one-year postponement of the date of application of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and welcomes the Council’s agreement on the Commission’s proposal without amendments. Following today’s Plenary approval of the urgency procedure, we strongly urge the European Parliament to approve the regulation as swiftly as possible to end the current legal uncertainty.
“While the proposed delay aims to provide additional time for companies, producing countries, and national authorities to prepare for implementation, it must not lead to any attempts to reopen or alter the substance of the law. Such actions would only jeopardize the significant investments made by our members in anticipation of compliance with the EUDR.
“We welcome the publication of the guidance document and latest iteration of the FAQs on 2 October. We will study them closely, and look forward to further clarifications as soon as possible. We call upon the European Commission and all relevant stakeholders to utilise this additional year wisely, focusing on providing the necessary clarity and tools that will facilitate effective and smooth implementation of the EUDR. This includes the timely deployment of a fully operational Information System, the completion of the benchmarking process, and the provision of all essential clarifications.
As the organisation noted, together with its members, the trade body remains fully committed to no deforestation and continued preparation to ensure compliance with the EUDR’s requirements.“
