The anti-deforestation law was hailed as a landmark, but governments and industries from Brazil to Malaysia say it is protectionist (Photo: Reuters/Christopher Walljasper)
The European Commission stated this Wednesday (2) that it should propose a one-year delay in the implementation of its emblematic law that prohibits the import of commodities linked to deforestation, in response to requests from industries and governments around the world.
The law has been hailed as a milestone in the fight against climate change, but governments and industries from Brazil to Malaysia say it is protectionist and could end up excluding millions of poor and small-scale farmers from the food market. European Union.
There were also widespread industry warnings that the law would disrupt EU supply chains and increase prices.
Some 20 of the EU's 27 member states called on Brussels in March to limit and possibly suspend the law, saying it would harm the bloc's own farmers, who would be banned from exporting products grown on deforested land.
The proposal will need approval from the European Parliament and member states, the Commission said. She added that she was also publishing additional guidance documents.
The guidance and proposed 12-month delay are intended to “ensure the success of the EUDR, which is critical to addressing the EU's contribution to the pressing global issue of deforestation”, the Commission said, adding that it was not questioning the objectives or the substance of the law.
EU leaders weakened several environmental measures this year to try to quell months of farmer protests over issues including the bloc's green policies and cheap imports.
About the anti-deforestation law
From December 30, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) would require companies importing soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, timber, rubber and related products to prove that their supply chains do not contribute to the destruction of the world's forests, under penalty of heavy fines.
Companies will have to digitally map their supply chains to where their raw materials were grown, even on small farms in remote rural regions.
Critics say this is extremely complex in supply chains that stretch across the world and involve not only millions of farms but also multiple intermediaries whose data is not easily verifiable.
Brussels argues the law is necessary to end the bloc's contribution to deforestation, the second leading cause of climate change after the burning of fossil fuels.
The EU is the world's second-largest contributor to deforestation through its imports, according to data from environmental group WWF.