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[Music]
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today in the EU the vote that might end
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anti-deforestation law we have no time
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to waste 30 football pitches every
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minute is the global deforestation rate
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that we're talking
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[Music]
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about today the European Parliament is
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set to decide on the fate of a landmark
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legislation against deforestation and
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activists are worried that it could end
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in a diluted text that would fall short
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in tackling the issue of deforestation
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so who wants to put an end to
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anti-deforestation law and
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why hello and welcome I'm your host Jada
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Santana and this is today in the
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EU I'm here in the studio with agrifood
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reporter Sophia Sanchez manano to
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outline supporters and attractors of the
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EU and possible scenarios ahead of the
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vote hello J thanks for having me you
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just came out of a briefing ahead of the
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vote hosted by one of the biggest
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supporters of anti-deforestation law how
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was it well it is uh very exciting and
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thrilling because we didn't understand
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completely the bigger picture but I
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think Pascal Gan who is the coordinator
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of renew the Liberals in the environment
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committee at the parliament uh briefed
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us on the state of play ahead of the
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vote U so the Rene the Liberals and of
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course the Socialist greens Etc feel
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betrayed because they had agreed to
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postpone this legislation that has been
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very controversial for one year they had
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got the word from Ula wonderlan herself
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that this will not happen that if some
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amendments were to pass she will
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withdraw The Proposal that's what Canan
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told us I mean I can't imagine if Kon
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was given the word that the legislation
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was not going to be changed and now
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we're seeing where at the cusp of a vote
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that could change it and could even end
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it for for how we know it that's that's
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a big that's a big development but
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before we get into all that let's define
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first what UDR is of course is popularly
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referred to as anti-deforestation law
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but how does he plan to tackle
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anti-deforestation what's the goal of
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this of this law so this La wants to
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ensure that no product uh derived from
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the six Commodities that are covered by
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the legislation this is soy uh livestock
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so cattle meat palm oil coffee cocoa and
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rubber and tinber so none of these
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Commodities and derived products that
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can be Furniture chocolate and any type
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of coffee uh sold in the European Union
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have contributed to deforestation these
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Commodities are known to be uh big
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drivers of the forestation worldwide in
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many regions of the world and
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particularly in certain South American
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countries in Asia and as well in Africa
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uh this law also applies to Commodities
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uh produced in the EU we do produce meat
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so cow meat and this is one of the
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Commodities affected so UDR was voted
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more than a year ago we're talking about
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April 2023 and recently large companies
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came out and said look you we passed
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this law we spent money to implement it
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you know we've we've spent money to meet
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these new targets and these new
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accountability traces that you need
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please don't change it again so why are
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we reopening
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negotiations so the thing was uh in the
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year since the law was voted um the
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European commission had still to present
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a lot of documents to clarify how to put
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into Force how to implement the law
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which is I mean it's very big let's take
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into account this covers Commodities
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that we use every day since coffee to
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paper it's really really big and that we
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import massively so companies and many
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industries were really confused about it
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and also farmers in the EU but mostly
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outside the EU we're speaking of
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developing countries uh where there are
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a lot of small farmers that need to
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comply with the rules that the small
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farmers they make a living out of
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cultivating coca coffee Etc so they need
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to be supported to to implement this so
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all these doubts they were not
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necessarily addressed very quickly by
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the commission it wasn't very clear why
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they were so sluggish to publish all the
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guidance document the frent ask
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questions um Etc so the industries were
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very concerned because they claimed they
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didn't have the tools to implement
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properly the legislation national
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government administrations that were
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also concerned so that's why the
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European commission said okay so I'm
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going to give you an additional year of
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transition period uh then you will have
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more time because it was of course
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partly the fault of the European
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commission that they didn't have the
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time um information to prepare so the
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original deadline would have been the
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end of this year we're talking about
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December
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2024 or June 2025 right that's what
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originally had to happen yes exactly so
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the law will have been implemented in
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December 30 December this year and for
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smaller companies in June 2025 but
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U the companies thought there was no way
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the commission listened and they
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proposed the one-year delay and most
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European Parliament groups basically
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socialist renew EP and even some people
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at the greens even though the the greens
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position I think it was an abstention in
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environment committee they agreed that
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they the time was needed and that was
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fair but they promised they PP promised
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that they would not try to reopen the
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legislation that they will stick to the
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one-year agreement and that's when all
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the chaos started when last week the
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European People's Party broke their word
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and they did present amendments changing
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the core of the legislation and that's
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where we are now yes they presented 15
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different amendments saying that they
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want to make the legislation quote fit
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for purpose how are they planning to do
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so basically uh one of the Amendments is
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quite straightforward instead of one-ear
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delay they want a two-year DeLay So
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legislation to come into Force by the
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end of 2026 and not 2025 for starters
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many companies and Industry let's say
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the largest uh Agri food manufacturers
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in the world likes of Ferrero and N have
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already been very concerned about this
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because as you said uh they have made
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Investments they have put money on this
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and they want to see a return for the
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Investments um to comply with UDR
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another change proposal the EP is to
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create a new category so basically the
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law was going to rank countries
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depending on the deforestation risk it
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was high medium and law they want to
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create a fourth category that is no risk
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that basically exempts countries from
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most obligations would that apply to
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European countries do they just want to
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protect their own yeah it seems it seems
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like it it seems that this will be a a
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shortcut to exempt European countries
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but the funny part is that what Pascal
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Kon shared with us is that this wouldn't
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apply equally to all EU countries
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because some countries like France with
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the French Guana uh could be considered
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uh low risk and not no risk so he raised
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the concern that this could create
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disparities in the EU single Market
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because the European Union countries
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will have different risk level uh that
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and that was really concerning for him
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and that other countries around the
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world could be also considered no risk
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and that suddenly could become more
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interesting to buy wood from outside the
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EU than from France or so yeah it's
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definitely something that will also be
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problematic with the World Trade
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Organization for sure and another of
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these amendments tackles more the supply
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chain so the EP wants to make only the
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company placing the product on the
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market responsible for proving that the
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product is let's say deforestation free
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but instead of you know supplier along
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the chain having to provide a certain a
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certain certificate or certain evidence
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that this is the case isn't traceability
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critical to ensure that the supply chain
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is
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sustainable yes I mean of course they
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want to exempt uh Traders and uh what um
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Mr Canan with shared with us is this
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makes the regulation uh really similar
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to the previous EU Timber regulation
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which also wanted to and deforestation
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on Imports of Timber but uh in this case
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this this worked this way that the
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burden of proof was only on importers
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and not along the supply chain so it was
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not enough to control and make sure that
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indeed this Timber hadn't contribute to
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the forestation when entering the EU
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market so it will really water down the
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goal of the E the yeah it seems really
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that it would diminish its its scope and
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it and its mandate in in a way I also
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wanted to talk about the link between
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mercur the trade deal agreement with
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Latin American countries and this
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anti-deforestation law there were some
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suggestions on the table that we should
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postpone the vote at least until the
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details of this deal were nailed down
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what is the connection between the two
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the connection H is there I mean the
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European Union is now negotiating more
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stringent sustainability conditions for
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the E deal let's um remember our
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listeners that the deal was politically
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closed during the junker Commission in
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2019 and the quotas Etc were already
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negotiated so the commission is not
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touching that right now they just want
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guarantees that mercosur countries so
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Brazil Argentina Paraguay and uai will
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comply with for instance the objectives
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of the Paris agreement um that they uh
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will comply with uh Al sustainability
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goals in general that we share in the
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European union and also this includes uh
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ending deforestation but of countries
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like Brazil have been very vocal against
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it they will be very affected by the law
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they are Argentina as well they're big
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producers of cattle meat of soy Etc so
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this has been a point of tension um as
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the Brazilian ambassador to the EU
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recently told me last month he wouldn't
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like UDR to Halt or to stop um the
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possibility of a mercosur deal but they
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prefer to have more time to adapt that's
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for sure we also heard uh from Brazilian
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producers um livestock producers sold us
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yesterday that they will like the
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two-year delay that the EP proposes for
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instance so it is it comes into play in
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this bigger negotiation on how to impose
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more sustainability requirements um a
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potential trade deal between the EU and
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mercosur and it's interesting because
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European farmers seem to stand on the
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right opposite side where they're saying
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well if this vote on the
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anti-deforestation law ends up scrapping
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the legislation as it is not only we
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will have Brazilian products and you
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know Latin American Products getting
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into the market at a cheaper price
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because of different laws on pesticides
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and insecticides but also because they
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don't have to follow strict legislation
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on deforestation so there seems to be
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really a tension there mhm yeah it it
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definitely depends on the on the sector
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I think many farming groups always call
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for reciprocity in trade or mirror
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Clauses and we could see UDR as a mirror
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Clause let's say we are imposing same
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standards in Europe than in trade
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Partners um it will create a Level
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Playing Field for these products but
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some farmers in Europe also complain
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that they have to impose uh to comply
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with these requirements um themselves as
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well um anyway we cannot forget that in
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many countries the farming sector is
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really connected to the forestry sector
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the forestry industry so there are
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farmers and Foresters and this happens
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in countries like well Germany Finland
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uh Austria for instance so in this case
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the Foresters and the lobby of the
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Foresters has really pushed in general
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to water down UDR as the MEP Canan told
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us before they are be behind uh this
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push from the European people's party
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but particularly from the German part of
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the EP on watering down and delaying the
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legislation so there different sectors
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affected the inside farming yeah so
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let's get to speculations on the vote I
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feel like that's always what happens at
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the end of our episode and you know
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sometimes we're right sometimes we're
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wrong this vote is definitely an
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exceptional one it could be the first
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time that a far right majority shapes
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legislation what's your take yeah indeed
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it will be the the first time that the
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so-called Venezuela majority that is
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well EP Patriots for Europe ECR ESN uh
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as you say shapes legislation and all
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and not only um declarations or
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non-legislative issues so um the EP is
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for sure trying to get the support from
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Far Right on their amendments uh at this
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point is clear whether ECR will support
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the Amendments it seems that Patriots
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will but what we heard is that there are
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also divisions within Patriots they join
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forces with EP for some amendments in
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the budget but at the end they didn't
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vote uh for the entire file so they are
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unpredictable Partners they have shown
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so what are you hearing from ECR so the
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ECR group uh doesn't seem Keen to
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support all the EP amendments we were
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just told by ECR sources that they will
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support a 2year delay uh as the EP has
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proposed and it seems like uh PS of
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Europe could also support it so that CO
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mean if there are other MVPs from ESN or
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non or independent MPS with no group
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supporting it this Co pass this is
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likely but then ECR is not saying that
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they will support other amendments that
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really change the core of the
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legislation like the no risk category
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and exempting Traders they claim that
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they are supporting the 2-year delay
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because small Enterprises may need
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additional time to adapt but at the end
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they also said that even if the two-year
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Amendment doesn't pass and the last vote
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is on a onee delay they will still
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support it because they think it's
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important to ensure at least a oneyear
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delay my prediction is that some uh
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amendments will pass uh because of this
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tight majority I don't think they will
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all pass in Block for instance there is
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some there some inoffensive amendments
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as described by renew uh there's one of
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the Amendments that says that the
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benchmarking so this ranking from high
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to low needs to be prepared six months
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before the entering into force of the
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legislation and the commission had
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already promised that by June next year
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this should be sold so that's an
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amendment that could pass maybe with the
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support of certain parties like uh renew
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so I think the negotiations this
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afternoon and evening will focus on
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trying to get a small majority of pro
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European parties on certain amendments
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that can be easily negotiated with the
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council later because let's not forget
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we need to negotiate this with the
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council yeah before the end of December
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yeah clock is ticking clock is ticking
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so the more amendments pass and if there
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these are really different from the
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council position that only wants a
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one-year delay uh the negotiations with
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the council can be very tricky and it
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can mean that they run out of time to
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reach an agreement and then the
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legislation kicks in by the end of
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December so yeah those are the options
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yeah exciting times to be a journalist
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thank you thank you Sophia thank
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you I'm Jada Santana and this was your
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activ today in the U podcast visit Ur
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Sada sh Ken and
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