The Eurotrip is an outreach activity of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Deforestation-Free Value Chains, which aims to support partner countries in their commitment to sustainable, deforestationfree and legal value chains, in compliance with the European Union Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR). The Team Europe Initiative, supported by EU, Germany, Netherlands, France and Italy, is part of the Global Gateway strategy and pursues the overarching goal of building inclusive partnerships to reduce global commodity-driven deforestation and support the transition to sustainable, regenerative and climate-smart agriculture.
From 25 – 30 May 2025, 21 delegates from Latin American countries gathered in Brussels and Bonn to gain firsthand technical insights on how the compliance to the EU Deforestation Regulation will be handled by European actors. Both government and private sector representatives from relevant sectors of beef, soya, cocoa and coffee from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala addressed their questions and concerns to key European actors involved in the operationalisation of the regulation.
The programme of the 5-days trip included meetings with the European Commission (DG ENV, DG TRADE, DG INTPA, DG AGRI, EEAS), technical exchanges with the Belgian Competent Authority (FPS Public Health), the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as a visit to the Port of Antwerp and a discussion with the Belgian Customs Authority. Delegates also participated in multistakeholder exchanges with certifiers, civil society, and European private sector to further understand practical implications of compliance with the EUDR and foster cross-sector collaboration.
