Botswana battles EU deforestation rules

Botswana risks being shut out of critical European markets unless it invests in compliance with the European Union’s deforestation regulations, Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants vice-president Rabecca Silolezya has warned. Speaking at the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants International Conference in Gaborone, Silolezya said businesses and governments needed to treat the regulations as a market-access issue rather than simply an environmental requirement. She said the regulation seeks to ensure products entering the EU trade bloc are not linked to activities that have contributed to deforestation, placing pressure on exporters, reports The Botswana Gazette. Her warning highlights growing pressure on Botswana to align its production and export systems with increasingly stringent environmental standards in major international markets. Exporters may be required to provide evidence that commodities and their supply chains are not associated with deforestation. Silolezya’s remarks come as Botswana and Namibia are already exploring ways to respond to the regulations. Earlier this month, Minister of Lands & Agriculture Dr Edwin Dikoloti told Parliament that Botswana and Namibia were working to ‘manoeuvre around’ the EU anti-deforestation regulations or find a solution that would allow their exports to continue accessing the European market.