JOENSUU, Finland – The European Forest Institute (EFI) is supporting the implementation of the European Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire, launched in 2021. This initiative aims to support political dialogue between the European Union (EU) and cocoa-producing countries with a view to achieving sustainable cocoa production that provides a decent income for farmers and puts an end to deforestation and child labour.
In Côte d’Ivoire, EFI supports policy dialogue on issues related to cocoa traceability, legality and the fight against deforestation.
EFI also supports the implementation of solutions and tools to increase transparency in the cocoa supply chain and to support due diligence by operators in the context of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
In January 2024, EFI launched a call for tenders and recruited a consortium made up of Preferred by Nature, Cabinet Mondon Conseil International, Bureau Norme Audit (BNA) and Yannick Troupah, an independent expert, to carry out an in-depth study of Côte d’Ivoire’s regulatory requirements to identify all the legal requirements relevant to the cocoa sector.
The study also aims to propose a methodology to support operators’ due diligence with regard to the EUDR’s legality criteria and to clarify the role of ARS-1000 certification in this due diligence exercise, thereby facilitating access for Ivorian cocoa to the EU market.
As part of this study, EFI organised a stakeholder consultation workshop on 18 and 19 September 2024 in Abidjan. The consultations resulted in a common and consensual understanding of the regulatory framework applicable to Ivorian cocoa in the context of the EUDR and on elements of the due diligence guidance.
