On 12 June 2023, Mr. Asi Mamanee, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs, hosted a meeting with the EU Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV) and the EU Delegation to Thailand (EUD) in preparation for the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also in attendance were representatives from relevant Thai government agencies. The meeting focused their discussions on the potential impacts of the EUDR on Thailand and preparatory measures. The EUDR is expected to have an impact on a range of Thai agricultural exports, in particular rubber and its derivatives, which are high-value Thai export products to the EU.

Participants from the Thai side comprised representatives from the Department of European Affairs (MFA), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Commerce, and Rubber Authority of Thailand. Their EU counterparts, on the other hand, consisted of H.E. Mr. David Daly, Ambassador of the EU to Thailand, Mrs. Astrid Schomaker, Director for Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism, DG ENV, and the EUD.

The meeting exchanged views on the preliminary findings of the EUDR impact on Thailand conducted by the EUD, the status of the Thai agencies’ preparations in regard to the EUDR, clarifications on some technical details of the EUDR, and the Thai agencies’ proposals on areas in need of EU support, including organizing technical workshops to help Thai stakeholders, especially smallholders, to prepare for the EUDR.

Under the EUDR, EU importers of the commodities linked to deforestation (i.e., wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, soya and rubber) will be required to submit due diligence statements confirming that their imports comply with the laws of the country of origin and are deforestation-free. The EUDR is expected to enter into force at the end of 2024.