26 May 2014, IISD news - On the occasion of the 'High-level  Conference on Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Context of Climate  Change and Biodiversity Loss,' the European Commission (EC) Commissioner for the  Environment, Janez Potočnik, discussed the phenomenon of "imported  deforestation," through which EU domestic consumption drives global land use  change and deforestation. The conference was convened to inform work on  REDD+ by EU member States, identify options to address forest loss and  degradation globally, and bring together stakeholders from the public and  private sectors in support of climate change negotiations on REDD+ and related  matters.

In addressing the conference, the Commissioner recalled multiple EU  commitments to reducing deforestation and forest degradation including the  Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and UN Conference on Sustainable Development  (UNCSD, or Rio+20) commitments. In order to meet such commitments, the EC  must, according to the Commissioner, decouple economic growth from resource use  through a shift to circular economic systems, including a package of initiatives  addressing issues such as food waste, REDD+, sustainable forest supply chains  and resource efficiency. A proposal for an EU Action Plan on deforestation  and forest degradation will be elaborated in the coming months under the EU  Environment Action Programme, according to the Commissioner.

The conference considered projections for forest cover and management  for the period 2015-2030 and discussed the landscape approach to managing  multiple pressures on forests. It also highlighted the importance of sustaining  the livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples and identified roles for different  stakeholders in achieving goals and targets related to forests, climate change,  biodiversity and sustainable development. The meeting was held the 26-27 May in  Brussels, Belgium.

Source: http://forests-l.iisd.org/news/ec-discusses-imported-deforestation/