IGUAZU SUMMIT: Mercosur and Germany discuss new EU regulation on deforestation
At the IGUAZU SUMMIT, which took place on Mar 14-15, 2024 in Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina, over 100 representatives of public and private institutions from Germany and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay discussed the opportunities and challenges of implementing the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The regulation, which came into force at the end of June 2023, aims to minimize the risk of products associated with deforestation, forest degradation and illegal displacement of local populations entering the EU market. The EUDR thus promotes the long-term demand for legal and deforestation-free raw materials and products. The event in the Iguazú tri-border region brought together experts from science, business, government and technical cooperation. The discussion focused on the soy and beef supply chain, which is particularly relevant for imports into the EU.
On the first day of the conference, Amador Sánchez Rico, Ambassador of the EU, and Dr. Thomas Baldauf, BMEL, gave an overview of the current status of the EUDR. In addition to the history of the regulation to prevent the import of products that contribute to deforestation, the technical challenges and current developments in its implementation in Germany were presented. Representatives from the Mercosur countries then reported on the current situation in their countries.
On the second day, the most important questions regarding the implementation of the regulation were addressed again, joint solutions were found and a roadmap for the implementation of the EUDR was drawn up, taking into account the political and technological challenges of the countries. In a panel discussion with representatives of the public and private sectors from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, important issues relating to the promotion of trade, the certification and traceability of food production and the simultaneous respect for and protection of the environment were addressed.
The conference was organized by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the GFA Consulting Group GmbH (GFA) as well as three projects in South America, which are funded by the BMEL and implemented under the leadership of the IAK:
- German-Argentine Dialogue on Sustainable Agricultural Innovations
- German-Uruguayan Technical Agricultural Dialogue
- German-Brazilian Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD)
The IGUAZU SUMMIT followed on from the Innovation and Transformation Dialogue on the EU Deforestation Regulation, which took place in three provinces of Argentina in 2023. All information about the event (video recordings and presentations) can be found here.