Copaíba joined forces with 62 other Civil Society Organizations to send the document

In a letter sent to the presidency and to the Member States of the European Union, 63 Brazilian NGOs requested that the bloc make trade agreements with Brazil conditional on effective environmental commitments by the Brazilian government and suggest the insertion of strict clauses regarding the environmental control of agricultural, logging, and any other that may impact natural ecosystems. The initiative came from AMD and was quickly joined by NGOs across the country.

In the document, the entities denounced the environmental policy of the current government, which encourages fires, deforestation, dismantling of environmental agencies and amnesty for crimes against the environment. The NGOs also highlighted a speech by the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, during the ministerial meeting on April 22, in which he suggests “passing the herd” on environmental standards during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Both President Jair Bolsonaro and Ricardo Salles have made it clear that indigenous populations and the preservation of natural environments are obstacles to what they consider to be the country’s development,” the official said.

Dalce Ricas, Amda's superintendent, regrets that NGOs have to turn to the European Union. “I am sorry, because the responsibility is ours. Brazil should be proud of its biodiversity, of housing indigenous populations and of contributing to the fight against climate change, showing the world that this is perfectly compatible with development and social justice”, he said.

The official letter also draws attention to the persecution and dismissal of technicians as a way of weakening inspection, citing layoffs at IBAMA, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and other environmental bodies. The interventions caused deforestation rates in the country to skyrocket, as well as cases of illegal mining and invasion of protected areas.

To reverse this scenario, the organizations that signed the letter suggest that the European Union, Brazil's second largest trading partner, verify the origin of agricultural products imported by the country. The objective is to ensure that “they do not bring products from companies and rural producers that do not comply with the precepts defined by Brazilian environmental legislation” into European territory.

Ana Paula Balderi, from the Environmentalist Association Copaíba, in São Paulo, considers the initiative to be of the greatest importance and highlights the responsibility of countries for the purchases and partnerships they enter into. Regarding the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, she hopes that it will be a conscious partnership that will bring benefits to the planet.

“We need to have this environmental awareness, because only then will we guarantee biodiversity and a better quality of life for all living beings. The institutions together forming a collective is of fundamental importance in these sensitive moments that we are going through”, he declared.

• Source: AMDA – Minas Gerais Environmental Defense Association