Members of the European Parliament have voted to delay implementation of the EU’s deforestation law, and introduced amendments to soften some of the existing regulations.
Originally, the law required sellers of such products as beef, coffee, chocolate, palm oil, and wood to verify their goods had not contributed to deforestation anywhere in their supply chains.
However, the European Parliament voted on November 14 to water down the legislation, and lower requirements for the companies not to contribute to deforestation anywhere in their global supply chain.
MEPs added a ‘no risk’ category of countries with far lighter deforestation controls. This only added though to uncertainty over the EU deforestation regulation (EUDR), as lawmakers would now need to enter negotiations with EU governments over the final shape of the law.
Approved in the 2023 legislative session, the law had been scheduled to take effect by the end of 2024.
However, in response to complaints from 20 EU member states as well as from non-EU nations, the European Commission proposed in October to delay its enforcement by 12 months, setting instead a new deadline for December 2025.
A group of EU countries led by Austria is calling for urgent revisions to the bloc’s anti-deforestation law set to go into effect at the end of the year, saying it could hurt European farmers. https://t.co/SyOb98JhWG
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 26, 2024
The amendments watering down the law were proposed by the centre-right European People’s Party and passed with support from hard-right lawmakers –the so-called ‘Venezuelan majority’. The nature of the coalition sparked outrage among left-wing lawmakers.
Chaos in the European Parliament pic.twitter.com/RFf6TBIwen
— Fidias (@Fidias0) November 14, 2024
To some critics, the MEPs’ vote represented a pushback on the EU’s green agenda.
“Companies and third countries have been preparing for this law since its adoption last year. The EPP’s abrupt abandonment of principle, just weeks before the law kicks in, threatens to undermine the trust in the EU’s ability to provide a stable legal environment for businesses and investors” said Greenpeace EU forest policy director Sébastien Risso.
Greenpeace also criticised the European People’s Party for siding with the other right-wing parties.
The EPP has “teamed up with the populist and extreme right in an attack on the EU Deforestation law”, the environmental lobby group said.
