The roadmap has been developed by Team Europe – the EU and its Member States – and the Republic of Congo, to put the Forest Partnership in practice. It outlines measures to safeguard Congolese forests and support the development of sustainable value chains coherent with the requirements of the new EU Deforestation Regulation and in particular in its key aspects: geolocation requirement, inclusion of smallholders, agroforestry developments and development of high standards traceability schemes.

The signature of the roadmap took place in the margins of the Summit of the Three Basins of Biodiversity Ecosystems and Tropical Forests, in Brazzaville, which brought together government representatives, financing organisations and experts to discuss cooperation for the preservation of some of the world’s most important natural ecosystems: the basins of the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia.

The regions of the Three Basins account for two thirds of the planet’s biodiversity. As such, their environmental protection is essential for the successful implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. These tropical forests also serve an important purpose as carbon sinks, which makes them an important asset in the fight against climate change.

Commissioner Sinkevičius said:

'Tropical forests are our lungs, the life-support system of the world. They should be protected and sustainably used to safeguard biodiversity, tackle climate change, and guarantee the livelihood of people who directly depend on forest products. Today’s roadmap will result in a strengthened dialogue between our countries in addressing deforestation and forest degradation in Congo and working towards a sustainable forest economy.'