The European Workshop on the Future of the Amazon was held in Brussels on December 11, 2013. The purpose of the workshop was to disseminate the results of AMAZALERT thus far, to assess the current impact of European policies and behaviours on deforestation of the Amazon and to discuss no regret policies Europe could adopt in order to contribute towards zero deforestation by 2050. The workshop built on two previous workshops that were conducted in Brazil (Belem and Brasilia respectively) and yielded two plausible future outlooks for the Brazilian Amazon in 2050. It was the third and last stakeholder workshop conducted within AMAZALERT.

A mixture of stakeholders was selected to ensure relevant expertise on the impact of Europe on Amazon deforestation, and that those who have the ability to influence policy and practice were present. Participants included representatives from various DGs within the European Commission, Forest Certification bodies, INGOs, the private sector, academia, Brazilian representatives. Roughly 25 people attended the workshop.

The day began reviewing existing knowledge, including the results of AMAZALERT thus far. Presentations were given covering the current situation in the Amazon, background of AMAZALERT and results to date including land use modelling in Brazil, and policies in the Amazon by Dr. Marco Gemmer, Project Officer European Commission DG R&I; Dr. Bart Kruijt, Project coordinator AMAZALERT; Dr. Mateus Batistella, Director, EMBRAPA Satellite Monitoring, Brazil; Dr. Arnaldo Carneiro who has worked for government, research, and NGO in Brazil.

Building on the results thus far and the collective knowledge of the participants, mental maps detailing the current and potential impacts of Europe on the Amazon were generated through a participatory process. These maps were subsequently used to generate a portfolio of ways in which Europe could positively impact Amazon preservation and minimize any negative impacts. These options were tested within a set of exploratory scenarios, adapted by the participants, generating a final set of no regret policy and practice.

Most participants agreed that Europe could be doing a lot more to minimize deforestation, and felt that Europe had a responsibility to increase its own internal sustainability and set a good example, stand for the green agenda within the politics of Amazonian countries and also should act at the international scale concerning standards for soy, beef and other products.

Europe also has a role to play in facilitating regional cooperation and dialogue and facilitating knowledge sharing on experiences of regional sustainable development. Europe can invest in the development of institutions that facilitate trans-border cooperation and support international efforts such as REDD+ and FLEGT both financially and in terms of expertise.

Technical cooperation was encouraged on land use planning and management particularly with regards to agriculture and forestry, sustainable infrastructure, environmental planning etc. European involvement in international trade policies, multi-lateral trade taxes and tariffs, integration of environmental standards into trade policies and standards, engage with BRIC, particularly China in formulating policies, including pro-poor policies. The many other options for European action are covered in the Workshop Report.

The workshop was facilitated by Kasper Kok, Gudrun Lettmayer, Ariella Helfgott and Joost Vervoort.