© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The Netherlands has called on the EU to do more to address concerns of countries worried about upcoming new European green trade rules, such as a carbon border tax and a ban on goods linked to deforestation, a paper seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
The EU’s deforestation law will apply from 2025, and the bloc will begin imposing CO2 charges on imported goods from 2026 under its carbon border levy. Both policies have faced criticism from the likes of India, Indonesia and Brazil.
The Netherlands, one of more of the EU’s more ardent supporters of open trade, said in a paper shared with other EU members this week that the bloc “should listen, strengthen engagement, and show a willingness to accommodate reasonable concerns” of its trade partners.
The paper, seen by Reuters, is designed to influence the new European Commission that will take office as the bloc’s executive following a European Parliament election in June.
It said the Commission should set up support measures to help trade partners raise production standards to meet new EU requirements. The EU should invest in promoting sustainability in countries it trades with, including funding small companies.
It should pay closer attention to the impact of future legislation on trading partners, and seek to work towards common standards with other bodies, such as at the World Trade Organization, the document said.
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