European Parliament agrees to postpone the start of EUDR

November 15, 2024 Editor

The European Union has significantly weakened and postponed the implementation of a new law intended to protect forests.

The European Parliament approved a proposal by the European Commission to delay by one year the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a landmark measure originally set to curb Europe’s contribution to global deforestation. A series of amendments proposed by the EPP were also adopted, enabling further degradation of EU forests.

The European Parliament has approved the Commission’s proposal to postpone the enforcement of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year to December 30, 2025, alongside a number of amendments, which means the new text will now have to go back to committee for inter-institutional negotiations.

The new text will have to be endorsed by both the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, then published in the EU Official Journal by December 30, the regulation’s original enforcement date. The Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) committee is now in charge of negotiating with member states.

Adopted just last year, the EU Deforestation Regulation was hailed as one of the EU’s boldest steps to fight against the climate crisis.

If the postponement is finally approved by both the Parliament and the Council, the EUDR will come into force on December 30, 2025, for large operators and traders and on June 30, 2026, for micro- and small enterprises.

The Parliament also approved other amendments, including the creation of a new category of countries posing “no risk” on deforestation in addition to the existing three categories of “low”, “standard” and “high” risk. “Countries classified as “no risk”, defined as countries with stable or increasing forest area development, would face significantly less stringent requirements as there is a negligible or non-existent risk of deforestation, the European Parliament said, adding that the Commission will have to finalize a country benchmarking system by June 30 next year.