The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana has hosted a working visit by Ms Catarina Vieira, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament, as Ghana’s cocoa sector comes under renewed international focus over compliance with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Ms Vieira, who represents GroenLinks–PvdA within the Greens/EFA Group of the European Parliament, engaged with officials of the Dutch Mission on key thematic areas including trade and investment, governance, human rights and, critically, sustainable cocoa production—an issue central to Ghana’s economic relationship with the European Union.
Her visit forms part of broader EU efforts to assess the readiness of cocoa-producing countries ahead of the enforcement of the EUDR, which will require exporters to demonstrate that agricultural commodities entering the EU market are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation.
Within this context, Ms Vieira earlier paid a two-day working visit to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to gain firsthand insight into Ghana’s cocoa traceability and sustainability architecture. Her delegation, which included representatives from the EU Delegation in Ghana and GIZ, undertook field inspections in Suhum in the Eastern Region and toured COCOBOD’s warehouse facilities in Tema before engaging COCOBOD’s management at Cocoa House in Accra.
The visit to COCOBOD followed a courtesy call by the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Rune Skinnebach, who held discussions with COCOBOD management on cocoa sustainability, farmer incomes and Ghana’s preparedness to comply with the EUDR. The engagement highlighted Ghana’s leadership in child labour risk management, education initiatives and traceability through systems such as the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System (GCTS), which digitally links cocoa farms to export shipments.
COCOBOD’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Randy Abbey, briefed the EU delegation on financial pressures confronting the sector, warning that stagnant pricing structures and rising production costs could undermine sustainability efforts if farmer incomes are not adequately protected. He stressed that long-term compliance with EUDR would require economic reforms that discourage farm expansion into forest reserves.
Dr Abbey also underscored the urgency of rehabilitating more than 400,000 hectares of diseased and ageing cocoa farms, noting that productivity gains on existing farmland remain Ghana’s strongest safeguard against deforestation and future trade disruptions.
Ms Vieira commended Ghana’s EUDR compliance framework and progress toward deforestation-free cocoa production, reaffirming the European Union’s commitment to continued cooperation, including support for farm rehabilitation and sustainable value-chain development.
The engagements culminated in a reception hosted by the Netherlands Embassy, bringing together members of the Cocoa Coalition and civil society organisations to discuss current developments in the cocoa sector. The interaction provided an opportunity for EU representatives and Ghanaian stakeholders to exchange perspectives on farmer livelihoods, the implications of the delayed implementation of the EUDR, and the realities facing origin countries within the EU’s legislative process.
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