EU Parliament postpones anti-deforestation law

Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The EU Parliament approved a delay to the enactment of a law prohibiting the import of commodities related to deforestation and adopted a series of revisions to weaken the regulation itself.

As reported by the Press of the European Parliament, today on 14 Nov 2024 EU Parliament approved the postponement of the law in response to concerns presented by EU member states, non-EU countries, traders and operators that they would not be able to fully concede with the rules if applied as of the end of 2024. The EU Commission proposed delaying the application date of the deforestation regulation by one year. 

According to the EU Parliament, large operators and vendors would have to respect the commitments stemming from this law as of 30 December 2025, whereas micro- and small enterprises would have until 30 June 2026. This extra time would help operators around the world to enforce the rules smoothly from the start without undermining the objectives of the law.

What are the implications of categorizing countries as “no risk”?

Moreover, Parliament also assumed other amendments proposed by the political groups, including the composition of a new category of nations posing “no risk” on deforestation in addition to the existing three categories of “low”, “standard” and “high” risk. Countries categorised as “no risk”, defined as countries with stable or improving forest area development, would face significantly less strict requirements as there is a negligible or non-existent risk of deforestation. 

Will the delay in deforestation law undermine environmental goals?

Research indicates that in 2023, the world lost some 37,000 square kilometres of tropical forest, or an area nearly equal in size to Switzerland. “We are confronting a global emergency,” stated MEP Anna Cavazzini. “I simply find it irresponsible to delay this law by another year in this situation,” she expressed ahead of the EP’s decision. 

A 12-month pause would mean additional global forest loss of approximately 2,300 square kilometres according to EU studies. It would also unlock Pandora’s box and give room to water down the content of the law, Cavazzi said. “With this delay, a new legislative proposal is effectively being raised into the process, where amendments can also be made, and there are many, many actors who would prefer to scrap or weaken the law.”