On 11 December, Chile's Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa) presided over the establishment of the Inter-institutional Technical Committee (CTI) created within the framework of the project. to adapt the cattle and forestry sectors to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This project is supported by the European Union's AL-INVEST Verde programme and the European Union Delegation, together with Eurochile.
The Inter-institutional Technical Committee (ITC), which will operate throughout the project, aims to coordinate between institutions, as well as supervise and provide technical guidance for the national process of adapting to the EUDR. Its purpose is to provide institutional advice on technical and sector-specific subjects, in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of georeferenced traceability, legality and due diligence in the cattle and forestry chains, within the framework of European regulations.
This body, which will meet every two months, will be responsible for reviewing the consolidated progress of the sectoral working groups, systematising relevant technical and regulatory information in accordance with progress and outputs, monitoring project milestones and compliance with the work plan, and adopting agreements to guide future actions. The CTI will be led by Odepa It will have permanent members from the Natural Resources Information Centre (CIREN), the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), the Chilean Forestry Institute (INFOR) and the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations (SUBREI). It will also have a Technical Secretariat, which will be run by Eurochile. For their part, AL-INVEST Verde and the European Union Delegation in Chile will participate as strategic partners, contributing their experience and support to the process.
During the committee's first meeting, held on 12 December, PASO National Director Andrea García stated that: “This Inter-institutional Technical Committee is a concrete sign of the Chile's commitment to sustainable agricultural and forestry production, transparent and aligned with the highest international standards. As Odepa, our role is to coordinate capabilities, information and technical coordination so that the country can implement the European Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products in a timely and rigorous manner, safeguarding the competitiveness of our exports and strengthening traceability, legality and due diligence in the production chains involved.
For her part, Assunta Testa, International Cooperation Attaché at the European Union Delegation in Chile, highlighted “the effective work that will be carried out by the Interinstitutional Technical Committee within the framework of the EUDR, which continues to be a fundamental instrument for us all to fight deforestation together. We greatly appreciate the work that Chile is doing to comply with this Regulation and, surely, it will be a good example for other countries", added.
From AL-INVEST Verde, Emilio Calvo, director of Component 2—implemented by FIAP, the Spanish Cooperation agency specialising in public policy—highlighted the role of public-private coordination “so that regulations such as the EUDR is implemented in the best possible way”He encouraged the private sector to take part in the dialogue forums that are being created “in order to share information, resolve doubts, make suggestions and come up with a useful mechanism for Chile that will allow it to maintain its privileged position in terms of access to the European market.”.
On behalf of the Eurochile Foundation, the project director, Francisco Javier Meneses, highlighted the organisation's extensive experience “in supporting productive development, bringing knowledge, technology, experts and European standards to Chile and, in recent years, in generating collaboration between Europe and Chile, insofar as over the last 30 years Chile has become not only a learner, but also a partner and an ally. ”For this reason, this programme is very important,“ he added.
With the start of Phase II, collaborative work begins, with concrete solutions and effective coordination between public institutions, academia, technical organisations, and the private sector. This coordination seeks to ensure that Chile has the necessary capabilities, information, and tools to respond adequately to the demands of the EUDR, ensuring the competitiveness of the sectors involved.
About AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIAP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policies 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.