68 MEPs sent letter to Brazilian Vice-President
This morning, 68 Members of the European Parliaments have sent a letter to Brazilian Vice-President Hamilton Mourão regarding the plan of the National Council on the Amazon to issue rules that would, by 2022, give the government control over non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the Amazon.
In the letter, the MEPs express their concern that the plan currently being developed risks being an attack on the independence of NGOs, and undue restrictions on civil society space. They highlight that NGOs are not there to replace the government, but to complement its actions. At a time where the Amazon is burning at record speed, limiting the operations of environmental and social groups and organisations can have devastating consequences.
The MEPs therefore urge the Vice-President to rethink the role of civil society, and express their willingness to work together in partnership to achieve environmental and climate protection goals. You can find the full letter here: https://www.annacavazzini.eu/wp-content/uploads/Letter_from_Members_of_the_European_Parliament_to_Brazilian_Vice.pdf
The letter was an initiative of Anna Cavazzini, a German Member of the European Parliament for the Green Group and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Brazil. The letter received support from MEPs from a variety of European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and of course Germany.
MEP Anna Cavazzini adds:
„The planned measure would restrict the important activities of NGOs in the Amazon region and would ultimately have a negative impact on the protection of the rainforest and the rights of indigenous peoples. In a spirit of kindship with Brazil and its people, we urge the Brazilian government to rethink its course. We must work together to protect the world’s rainforests: each stakeholder has its distinct role to play in this regard, and should be enabled to do so.“