EU deforestation law delayed as EPP joined by far-right to slow down obligations

The European Parliament approved amendments that substantially weaken the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by introducing a category of “no risk” countries.

Driven by the centre-right European People’s Party and far-right parties in the EP, the move undermined efforts by companies that had already invested in deforestation-free supply chains to comply with EUDR requirements in time for its application on 30 December 2024.

Now obligations will be postponed by one year so that companies can comply with the EU deforestation law, which ensures products sold in the EU are not sourced from deforested land.

The postponement was supported by the EPP, liberals Renew, and hard right formations ECR, ESN, and PfE, with 317 votes in favour. The socialists S&D, Greens, and Left voted against (240 againt, and 30 abstentions). Nationalist MEPs Peter Agius and David Casa voted in favour of the final reasolution; Labour MEPs Alex Agius Saliba, Daniel Attard and Thomas Bajada voted against.

Large operators and traders will now have to respect the obligations stemming from this regulation as of 30 December 2025, whereas micro- and small enterprises would have until 30 June 2026.

Over 50 companies warned that such a weakening would jeopardise their investments, disrupt compliance efforts, undermine much-needed regulatory certainty, fail to create a level playing field and ultimately endanger their competitiveness.

“This is a shameful moment for the EPP, and a betrayal of its commitments to European citizens, forward-looking businesses, the world’s forests, and our climate. Just last year, the EPP overwhelmingly supported the EUDR – led by a rapporteur from their own ranks,” the WWF’s forests policy manager Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove said.

“Today, they aligned with extreme right-wing factions, putting political posturing over climate action, opening the gates for deregulation whilst casting aside pleas of European citizens and responsible companies to protect our forests.”

The EUDR was adopted in 2023 after a two year policy-making process and with support from the EPP group, and it entered into force in June last year, with full application due by 30 December 2024.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest  - an area larger than the EU – were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. EU consumption represents around 10% of global deforestation. Palm oil and soya account for more than two-thirds of this.

The EUDR fights climate change and biodiversity loss by preventing the deforestation related to EU consumption of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper. Already in force since 29 June 2023, its provisions were to be applied by companies from 30 December 2024.

Following the proposal by the Commission to delay the implementation by 12 months in an ‘emergency procedure’, the EPP submitted 15 amendments entirely hollowing out the law,

This mainly includes the introduction of “no-risk” countries, including all EU Member States, where companies are practically exempt from critical checks, facing them on average only once in 1,000 years. The WWF said this open s the door for “far-reaching abuse”.

MEPs approved 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 Commission will have to finalise a country benchmarking system by 30 June 2025.

“It calls into question the validity of democratic policy-making at EU level, and the reliability of the European Parliament. In 2020, more than 1.2 million citizens had called for strong deforestation regulation,” Schulmeister-Oldenhove said.

“Today’s decision also undermines voters’ trust in EU policy-making as a whole - and sends a shameful signal on the climate agenda of the new European Parliament, during the ongoing climate negotiations in Baku.”

WWF called on European Commission President von der Leyen to withdraw her proposal to delay the EUDR implementation.