Ecuador hosts the closing of the ‘Dialogues on sustainable cocoa’ cycle

More than one hundred people from more than ten countries in Latin America and Europe, including authorities, international experts, key representatives of the public sector, private sector and associations, gathered in the cities of Quito and Tena for the event ‘Integrated solutions for a sustainable cocoa for the European market’ and workshops.

During the event, the challenges and opportunities of the implementation of the European Union Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) in the cocoa value chain were analysed, with a focus on sustainability and the requirements for compliance with this regulation. This is supported by the Green AL-INVEST programme, which provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.

The inauguration was chaired by Sonsoles García, Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries of Ecuador; Jekaterina Dorodnova, Ambassador of the European Union in Ecuador; Jens Peter Lütkenherm, Ambassador of Germany in Ecuador; Marco Oviedo, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG); and Gabriela Sommerfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility.

During her speech, the Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries, Sonsoles García, indicated that ‘Ecuador is committed to sustainable cocoa production’, although ‘it is not without its challenges’, and called for small producers not to be driven out of the market.

For her part, the EU ambassador to Ecuador, Jekaterina Dorodnova, pointed out that the country is the third largest cocoa producer in the world and that a third of its exports are destined for the EU. ‘The importance of cocoa for Ecuador is very great, she stressed. For this reason, he stressed the importance of the EUDR as an opportunity to access the European market and, in particular, ‘a real opportunity for small producers’.

The German Ambassador to Ecuador, Jens Peter Lütkenherm, stressed the importance of exchanging strategies to address the EUDR and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to Ecuador in promoting sustainability. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Marco Oviedo, pointed out that the EUDR is a challenge, but also an opportunity to show Ecuador’s commitment to sustainability, especially in the cocoa sector. For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, highlighted the relevance of the EU as a key partner for Ecuador and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to European standards and sustainability.

After the inauguration, the competent authorities from Spain, Germany and Italy took the floor to speak about the process of adaptation of each country to the European regulation on deforestation-free products and how it will be effectively implemented.

Dialogues on sustainable cocoa

The cycle ‘Dialogues on sustainable cocoa’ has been developed throughout 2024 and has consisted of three virtual meetings. During these meetings, different EUDR requirements were addressed, such as the need for products to be free of deforestation, and for traceability and legality to be verified.

The EUDR will require operators introducing, trading or exporting certain products – including cocoa and cocoa derivatives – to EU markets to submit a due diligence declaration demonstrating that the products comply with the relevant legislation of the country of production and originate from land that has not been deforested after 31 December 2020. Hence the importance of this cycle, which has culminated in a face-to-face meeting in Ecuador where, over three days, there has been an opportunity to share good practices and progress in this regard.