Tropenbos International

EU Legislative Interests

- Main focus: 'Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests’ / EU Regulation on halting deforestation (EUDR) - EUTR/ FLEGT Regulation — FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) - Forest Partnerships - To some extent: EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Communication Activities

TBI actively engages in EU and Dutch debates related to the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) and broader EU forest and commodity supply chain policies. Our communication activities focus on knowledge generation, stakeholder engagement, and joint advocacy to support effective and inclusive implementation of the EUDR. >> Key Publications and Knowledge Sharing: In 2025, Tropenbos International published a synthesis report entitled “Achieving deforestation-free supply chains: Review of preliminary findings from studies of EUDR readiness and assessments of potential impacts”. This report consolidates insights from case studies in multiple countries, offering practical recommendations for policymakers, companies, and support organizations involved in EUDR implementation. https://www.tropenbos.org/resources/publications/achieving+deforestation-free+supply+chains:+review+of+preliminary+findings+from+studies+of+eudr+readiness+and+assessments+of+potential+impacts >> Country-Level Engagement: Together with our partners in Viet Nam (coffee), Indonesia (rubber, palm oil), and Ghana (cocoa), we are assessing the EUDR’s potential impacts—both positive and negative—on smallholders and local communities. We are also exploring solution pathways for inclusive implementation. These activities include for example stakeholder dialogues, assessments and participation in (national) workshops. >> EU Consultations and Position Papers In the last years, Tropenbos International has provided input to EU policy consultations and public debates. This includes for example: “Designing an effective, ambitious and coherent EU regulatory framework to tackle deforestation” (December 2020), which outlines principles for robust and inclusive EUDR implementation. https://www.tropenbos.org/resources/publications/designing+an+effective,+ambitious+and+coherent+eu+regulatory+framework+to+tackle+deforestation “Including smallholders in EU action to protect and restore the world’s forests” (September 2021), highlighting risks of exclusion and proposing support mechanisms for smallholders. https://www.tropenbos.org/resources/publications/including+smallholders+in+eu+action+to+protect+and+restore+the+world%E2%80%99s+forests >> Smallholder NGO Coalition Tropenbos International is part of the smallholder NGO coalition, a group of civil society organizations committed to ensuring smallholder voices are heard in EUDR implementation. The coalition engages in joint publications, position statements, and dialogue events with EU institutions, aiming to ensure that the realities and needs of smallholders and forest communities are considered, to ensure an effective implementation of the future EU requirements. >> Cocoa Sector Initiatives and EUDR Linkages We are active in the policy debate, both in Ghana as in the Netherlands and on EU level. As a member of the Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform, Tropenbos Ghana has contributed to joint policy dialogue on cocoa, forest governance, and supply chain transparency. In partnership with Fern and EcoCare, Tropenbos Ghana co-authored: “Transferring lessons from FLEGT-VPA to promote governance reform in Ghana’s cocoa sector”, which connects forest governance frameworks to cocoa sector reforms. https://www.tropenbos.org/resources/publications/transferring+lessons+from+flegt-vpa+to+promote+governance+reform+in+ghana%E2%80%99s+cocoa+sector “Towards sustainable cocoa supply chains: Regulatory options for the EU”, exploring how EU-level regulation, including EUDR, can help drive sustainability and equity in cocoa supply chains. https://www.tropenbos.org/resources/publications/towards+sustainable+cocoa+supply+chains:+regulatory+options+for+the+eu Tropenbos International has run the EU project “Strengthening the capacity of non-state actors to improve FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes in Western Africa” (2016-2020) to increase the role of non-state actors in forest governance processes in Western Africa.

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

TBI is member of IUCN- International. Strategic international partnerships and forums include CGIARs Forest Trees Agroforestry Programme and the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 VOICE network [https://www.voicenetwork.eu/] Dutch Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa (DISCO)

Organisation Members

The TBI network: Since the beginning of 2017, TBI operates as a network of voluntarily cooperating, legally autonomous member organisations. The TBI network continues the activities of Tropenbos International, which was a unitary organisation with country offices in Indonesia, Vietnam, DRC, Ghana, Surinam and Colombia, and with its headquarters in the Netherlands. All TBI network members share the same mission and commit themselves to collaboration in pursuit of common goals. As a network, TBI operates based on a shared strategy, which offers opportunities for comparative approaches and cross-country learning about national-level policies and practices. TBI has no members who are natural persons. See [https://www.tropenbos.org/network]