Políticas Ambientais Brasileiras e o Novo Regulamento da União Europeia para Produtos Livres de Desmatamento: Oportunidades e Desafios

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the impact of the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) on Brazilian agribusiness. It examines how Brazil's existing environmental policies, such as the Forest Code and various monitoring systems, align with the EUDR's requirements and identifies the opportunities and challenges for Brazil to maintain and expand its market share in the European Union.

• The European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR), enacted on May 31, 2023, prohibits the import and trade of cattle, soy, oil palm, coffee, cocoa, wood, and rubber derived from forest areas deforested after December 31, 2020. These requirements will be enforced for Brazilian commodities starting December 30, 2024.
• The EUDR poses a significant economic risk to Brazil, as the EU is a primary destination for Brazilian coffee and a top destination for soy, oil palm, cattle, wood, cocoa, and rubber. In 2022, exports of the products covered by the EUDR reached an estimated 17.5 billion dollars.
• Brazil's Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the National Rural Environmental Registry System (Sicar) could serve as a national sustainability certificate for Brazilian agribusiness. These tools provide georeferenced data that can be used by European operators for the required due diligence process, potentially reducing costs for producers by avoiding private certifications.
• While Brazil has advanced monitoring systems like Prodes and Deter (managed by Inpe), the EUDR presents a challenge because it does not distinguish between legal and illegal deforestation. This conflicts with the Brazilian Forest Code, which allows for authorized and compensated legal deforestation.
• The EUDR's scope is limited to forests (defined as areas over 0.5 hectares with trees over 5 meters and over 10% cover), meaning the conversion of other native vegetation in biomes like the Cerrado or Pantanal may not be covered, potentially limiting the regulation's impact on overall Brazilian deforestation.
• Implementation of the EUDR faces several hurdles in Brazil, including a very short timeframe for producers to organize, varying levels of technological development across states, and a disproportionate cost burden on small farmers and traditional communities.
• Brazil lacks a national system for monitoring and traceability of production chains. While state-level initiatives like Pará's 'Selo Verde' and sector-specific agreements like the Soy Moratorium exist, implementing full traceability for the entire cattle herd (over 220 million head) within the EUDR's timeframe is considered unfeasible.

APA

Lopes, C. L., Chiavari, J., & Segovia, M. E. (2023). Políticas Ambientais Brasileiras e o Novo Regulamento da União Europeia para Produtos Livres de Desmatamento: Oportunidades e Desafios. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Politicas-Ambientais-Brasileiras-e-o-Novo-EUDR.pdf

Chicago

Lopes, Cristina Leme, Joana Chiavari, and Maria Eduarda Segovia. Políticas Ambientais Brasileiras e o Novo Regulamento da União Europeia para Produtos Livres de Desmatamento: Oportunidades e Desafios. Climate Policy Initiative, 2023. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Politicas-Ambientais-Brasileiras-e-o-Novo-EUDR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lopes |first1=Cristina Leme |last2=Chiavari |first2=Joana |last3=Segovia |first3=Maria Eduarda |title=Políticas Ambientais Brasileiras e o Novo Regulamento da União Europeia para Produtos Livres de Desmatamento: Oportunidades e Desafios |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=October 2023 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Politicas-Ambientais-Brasileiras-e-o-Novo-EUDR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lopes2023polticas, author = {Lopes, Cristina Leme and Chiavari, Joana and Segovia, Maria Eduarda}, title = {{Políticas Ambientais Brasileiras e o Novo Regulamento da União Europeia para Produtos Livres de Desmatamento: Oportunidades e Desafios}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Politicas-Ambientais-Brasileiras-e-o-Novo-EUDR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }