Certain environmental protection measures that Costa Rica has adopted in recent years place it in an advantageous position with regard to the entry into force of the new European regulations known as the Green Pact.
The European Union Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, VirginijusSinkevičius, believes that the country does not have to make drastic changes in its agricultural activities to be able to comply with the new parameters.
“I do not find any challenges to be honest”, he said during an interview with El Observador. “Costa Rica is in a privileged position with the efforts it has made regarding conservation measures, sustainable agriculture and agricultural activities in general”, he added.
For the European Union (EU) representative, our country already complies with regulations that in other latitudes are still challenges to overcome, including reforestation rates. As part of the European Green Pact, member countries will have a comparison system to determine which allies comply with the approved legislation. “Categories with high deforestation rates will have high risk and that will imply a significant reference. There will be reviews of different products”, he commented.
Some of the near future changes
The Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer) explains that the ‘Green Pact’ is a project with global scope. This establishes standards that must be met to participate in its internal market.
According to the promoter, if successful, “it could lead a trail of third countries and companies that will raise their competitiveness standards.It is not a temporary phenomenon, but a constant that will accompany Costa Rica’s trade with Europe and the world”, the institution said in a statement.
Some of the main changes implemented for the agricultural and food sector in the short and medium term are:
• By 2030, all food containers and packaging must be able to be recyclable and have a percentage of recycled material.
• Any packaging material that is not strictly functional will be prohibited.
• By 2030, the EU will reduce the use of pesticides by 50%, which indicates that the authorized substances and their quantity will be less.
• Producers of coffee, palm, cocoa, wood and its by-products must show that their lands are free of deforestation, as well as geo-locate their lands.
“If you do not comply with the above, you will not be able to participate in the EU market”, says the promoter. Procomer did a study that was published in March of the current year. Among other things, it concluded that the productive sector has tools and chains available that facilitate compliance with these standards. Through the same study, it was recognized that “Costa Rica is one of the largest users of pesticides in the world and the country’s effort should be greater than that of other food suppliers”.
The changes in Europe will be implemented gradually. The Green Pact is considered “the most ambitious and disruptive geopolitical strategy since its constitution”. The 27 EU Member States committed to making Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. To achieve this, they agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
