Author: Isabel Clarke - CircuLaw
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Article
The EU Deforestation Regulation and the Supply Chain
Forest and woodlands are vital to the stability of the planet due to their ability to capture and store carbon dioxide, soaking up roughly thirty percent of global emissions. Nonetheless, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme, the world continues to lose 10 million hectares of forests, equating
to an area larger than Portugal, every year. As the loss of biodiversity continues to increase globally, the Council and the European Parliament have provisionally agreed to a deal to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation (hereinafter Deforestation Regulation). Presently, deforestation
is being driven by the expansion of agricultural land and the production of commodities and products for the global population. According to the United Nations, in the last thirty years alone, the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest, an area comparable and larger than the EU, due to deforestation. As the EU is a large consumer and trader of commodities that heavily contribute to deforestation and forest degradation, the proposal is intended to reduce the EU’s contribution to the problem and to shift production means towards a more sustainable system. Overall, the aim of the proposed Regulation is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global biodiversity loss generally while still stimulating the production of deforestation free commodities and products within the EU single market.
To expand on the specifics held within the proposed Deforestation Regulation, this white paper will: 1) highlight the wider connected EU strategies; 2) provide an explanation of the legal implications of the Regulation; 3) exploring the provisional implementation timeline for the Regulation; and 4) identifying areas of Municipal significance. -
Article
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive & EU Taxonomy Regulation
Since March 2018, the EU has taken considerable efforts to implement their ambitious platform on sustainable finance. As an essential element of the European Green Deal, the EU continues to re-orientate the financial sector towards placing greater emphasis on environmental, social and governance factors when making investment decisions. The sustainable finance platform demonstrates a clear industry shift towards minimising environmental and social pressures caused by EU industries to transition while still fostering economic growth into new sectors. Ultimately, sustainable finance as a platform will allow the EU to transition to a more sustainable, climate resilient and resource efficient economy, guaranteeing a competitive union market. As such, this White paper will provide an insight into three key initiatives that support the EUs platform EU’s platform, including: the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive; the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive; and the Taxonomy Regulation.
Author: Isabel Clarke - CircuLaw
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Article
European legislation Circular Economy
In the context of the circular economy (hereinafter CE), the EU has taken progressive steps to streamline legislative opportunities that accelerate the circular transition. As the EU moves to adopt transformative policy proposals, Member States must begin preparing for their new obligations. Although supranational legislative initiatives are an important mechanism to stimulate policy change, local and regional authorities (LRAs) play an important role in the implementation of CE projects and initiatives, which informs the national policy approach. Ultimately, the success and efficiency of EU policies and subsequent national targets is inherently linked to the initiatives pursued at the local and regional levels of governance.1
As a member state of the EU, the domestic law of the Netherlands is largely influenced by new EU Directives and Regulations. At present, the EU is developing new legislation that is intended to further the circular transition, however, LRAs continue to face barriers when dealing with new legislative possibilities. Without a targetted approach to strengthen the capacity of LRAs, local and regional initatives are doomed to fail and national governments will be at greater risk of missing their circular and climate targets.
To foster the diffusion of knowledge in the context of EU legislation, this paper will explore theimplications stemming from the March 2022 communication on making sustainable products the norm, which identifies the direction of the next generation of EU legislation. Therefore, this paper will first identify the most recent EU legislative proposals, including a summary of their content. This paper will continue by summarising the role that LRAs contribute within the implementation of EU policies, including some predictions as to how the legislative proposals can best be used to support a circular Municipal agenda.