Teunissen puts Amazon and EU-Mercosur questions to three Dutch ministers
MP Teunissen has asked three ministers what Brazil's elections mean for the Amazon and how the EU-Mercosur trade treaty fits with action against deforestation.
Tweede Kamer member Teunissen of the PvdD submitted written questions on 16 October to three ministers about the consequences of the Brazilian elections for the Amazon region and deforestation. She asks how measures against deforestation relate to the EU-Mercosur treaty.
The questions go to the ministers for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, for Climate and Green Growth, and for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.
Teunissen asks whether the ministers agree that protecting the Amazon is vital to fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity, and that it "must weigh heavily in Dutch and European foreign, climate and trade policy".
On the treaty, she asks whether the ministers accept that it could increase pressure on nature, including in the Amazon. She also asks what options the EU has to suspend trade benefits if Brazil fails to meet its climate and nature obligations.
Teunissen also asks for the latest on the temporary ban on beef imports from Brazil. She asks whether the ministers will push to resume imports only once extra checks and safeguards are in place that demonstrably ensure compliance with European rules.
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PvdD (Partij voor de Dieren)
The Party for the Animals is a Dutch political party whose main focus is animal welfare, with nature and environmental protection also central to its platform. It holds seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, where its members submit written and oral questions to ministers. Its questions to the government are a regular feature of parliamentary debate.
EU-Mercosur treaty
The EU-Mercosur treaty is a trade and partnership agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, the South American trade bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It sets out the trade terms between the two regions, including tariffs and market access, along with commitments on sustainable development. Because it covers agricultural trade and environmental commitments, including those on deforestation, it is a recurring topic in Dutch parliamentary debate.