An appointment to talk about business development opportunities between Italy and Paraguay, especially in view of the EU-Mercosur agreement. And, at the same time, to discuss the EUDR, the anti-deforestation regulation that looms as a threat to relations between the two countries (as well as between the European Community and many global suppliers). On Tuesday, October 14, Fabrizio Nuti, president of UNIC-Italian Tanneries, attended a summit with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña (pictured center) in Rome at IILA (International Italo-Latin American Organization). There, he had the opportunity to describe the EUDR as “a regulation although born with the best of intentions and with shareable objectives, but which has resulted in a regulation that doesn’t take into account the reality of things, and which presents itself as a commercial obstacle and a detriment to operators”.
In Rome to discuss the EUDR
The Rome summit was not only about relationships along the leather supply chain, but it was also devoted an important chapter to the material. UNIC has been collaborating for years with IILA on projects on traceability in the South American country in the framework of the AL Invest program, met with local government officials and just went there on a mission. “Paraguay is, for Italian tanning, the second largest South American supplier”, Nuti explained, “and the EUDR, inside which fall cattle hide even if it doesn’t even make scientific sense, (as they aren’t a driver of deforestation), represents a serious risk”. It’s very likely that the regulation’s entry into force will slip another year. Meanwhile, Peña urges keeping the spotlight on Paraguay: “It’s a nimble country that offers investment opportunities”.
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