On 8 April, as part of the EU-China Environment Project, the EU Delegation to China co-hosted an EU-China Workshop on Building Legal and Policy Systems for Zero-deforestation Supply Chains, together with the Green Value Chains Center of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Office (FECO) of China’s Ministry of Ecology and with support of ClientEarth.

The main goals of the workshop were to present the EU’s recent legislative proposal to minimize the presence of products associated with deforestation in the EU market and to gather feedback from relevant departments of the Chinese government.

The workshop featured over 70 attendees, in person and online, including representatives from the EU Delegation, EU MS representatives, the European Commission, Chinese government departments and affiliated agencies, business and industry associations, NGOs and think tanks.

Mr. Chen Ming, the Deputy Chief Economist of FECO, and Mr. Sebastien Paquot, the head of Section for Climate and Environment of the EU Delegation to China, delivered opening remarks. After the presentation of the European Commission’s proposal and an update on recent initiatives addressing deforestation and sustainable supply chain in China, the participants exchanged views on the most appropriate manner to address global deforestation and forest degradation.  

About the EU–China Environment Project:

The EU–China Environment Project, established in 2018 and funded by the EU, is implemented by ClientEarth, alongside GOPA and the Policy Research Centre for Environment and Economy of the MEE. It supports cooperation between the EU and China on environmental policy, and aims to improve environmental protection standards and increase integration between the EU and China on environmental governance.

Relevant link for more information:

https://www.clientearth.org/projects/eu-china-environment-project/#latest