EU Pledges €1 Billion to Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana’s combined cocoa production accounts for over half of the world’s cocoa. (Flickr)

The EU’s Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Jobst von Kirchmann, announced on February 19 that the bloc hopes to pledge one billion euros to the West African country’s cocoa industry in order to include them within the new EU supply chain laws. Although Kirchmann clarified that no final decision had been rendered, the European Parliament intends to introduce new laws later this year to restrict imports of products linked to deforestation and human rights violations. Negotiations between the Ivorian government and the EU began in January.

Sustainable reforms to Côte d'Ivoire cocoa production are long overdue. Over the past 60 years, cocoa production has eliminated nearly 85 percent of the Côte d’Ivoire’s forest cover. In a report published by U.S.-based environmental group Mighty Earth, cocoa production in 2020 resulted in 116,000 acres of deforestation. Despite commitments from the Ivorian government and major chocolate companies to end cocoa sourcing from protected areas, the rate of deforestation since 2015 has remained steady at 148,000 acres destroyed annually. 

Ivorian cocoa production also relies in part on child labor to work the farms. In the past three weeks, Ivorian police have arrested seven suspected child traffickers and rescued 22 children being smuggled onto cocoa farms, all of whom originated in Burkina Faso. As with deforestation, chocolate corporations and the government have pledged to eliminate child labor on cocoa farms; however, a study sponsored by the U.S. government in 2020 found that child labor on cocoa farms has actually increased over the past decade. 

The severity of child exploitation in Ivorian cocoa production has caused eight children to jointly pursue legal action against major chocolate corporations, including Nestlé, Hersey, and Mars. The case, filed by the International Rights Advocates group on behalf of the plaintiffs, alleges that the children (originally from Mali) experienced intentionally inflicted emotional distress and had to work without pay in inhumane conditions.

The EU’s proposed legal reforms would require manufacturers to trace their products throughout manufacturing and procurement, meaning that they would have to promote transparency from their cocoa farmers if they wish to have continued access to the European market. If the reform passes, the Côte d'Ivoire will have mere months to implement the new regulations.

Given that the EU accounts for 67 percent of Ivorian cocoa exports, the Côte d'Ivoire’s government has called for increased support from the bloc and other donors to implement the reforms necessary to maintain their rate of exportation.