Foreign Secretary, Aruni Wijewardane chaired a meeting at the Foreign Ministry with the participation of the EU Ambassador Carmen Moreno to brief key industry stakeholders on the new EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR). As a direct beneficiary of the EU GSP+ concessions, Sri Lanka’s rubber exports to the EU market will have to adopt due diligence to prove that products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation. The EU has adopted the EUDR in June 2023, to ensure that agricultural products consumed by EU citizens do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation. The regulation will apply to the production of commodities like cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and their derived products.
The Foreign Secretary, in her introductory remarks, focused on the priority given by Sri Lanka to sustainable industry including in the rubber products exports sector and sought technical assistance from the EU for adaptation.
The Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission in Brussels participated in the hybrid Information Session, involving key Industry and government officials to discuss the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products (EUDR). They provided a comprehensive overview of the new regulation while Michelin Lanka (Pvt) Ltd as the largest rubber tyre exporter to the EU in Sri Lanka provided their case presentation.
The Department of Forest Conservation made a presentation of measures taken to combat deforestation and increase forest cover in the country, to address climate change and protect biodiversity.
Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Plantation Industries, Ministry of Industries and relevant government agencies including rubber industry associations, officials of the Sri Lanka Embassies in Brussels and Paris and over 60 rubber producing companies in Sri Lanka participated in the information session. The information session provided a platform for a constructive exchange of ideas on EUDR to assist Sri Lankan rubber exporters with the new compliance procedure.