BIO-TRADE

Protecting Biodiversity through Regulating Trade and Business Relations

Abstract

European consumption has a high biodiversity footprint outside Europe. Timber, soy, palm oil, cocoa and coffee are examples of everyday goods the production of which connected to biodiversity loss. Through regulating trade, supply chains, and the foreign operations of European companies, the European Union (EU) and European countries can protect biodiversity globally. As such, the EU is currently planning for example a Deforestation Regulation and a horizontal regulation on due diligence in supply chains. In this context, BIO-TRADE will analyse how the EU and European countries can protect biodiversity outside Europe. We study the topics and contents of laws as in how they set demands for regulation targets. Legal rules on trade and supply chains rely on the criteria for sustainable production and products. The criteria must be fair and transparent. We focus on how ecological and biodiversity criteria should be brought into European law so that laws are coherent and effective while being acceptable under the rules of the World Trade Organization.

Reference documents

For more details on the work plan and expected impact of the project and other projects funded in response to the BiodivRestore joint call consult:

Keywords: biodiversity, law, regulation, trade, international business, human rights, private regulation, contracts