Creating uncertainty and calling it “simplification”
Brussels, 26 November 2025 – The European Parliament has voted to delay and weaken the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a 2023 law that ensures that products sold in the EU do not cause the destruction of forests or the violation of human rights.
Right-wing and far-right MEPs voted to support the position national governments agreed last week. The law’s application will now be delayed for another full year, having already been postponed once.
Andrea Carta, Greenpeace EU Senior Legal Strategist said: “Less than three years ago, a vast majority of MEPs, including from the EPP and the ECR groups, approved the EU deforestation law and guaranteed European consumers that they would no longer be complicit in deforestation, forest degradation or human rights violations when they buy products such as coffee, chocolate or furniture. Today, MEPs from the same groups are walking away from that commitment. They betrayed the trust of European citizens and wasted the investment of the many companies that worked hard to comply with the EUDR in time. Nature, consumers and companies deserve better legislators.”
Today’s vote also creates loopholes to exempt EU forest owners and farmers from complying with the law, and foresees a new “simplification review” of the law for April 2026. In addition, MEPs voted in favour of excluding printed paper products, such as books, from the scope of the regulation.
The delay and weakening of the EUDR has obvious damaging effects on forests, which will continue to be destroyed to produce commodities for the EU market.
Companies that had already invested in preparing for the law’s entry into application have been punished by today’s vote to delay, while laggards have been rewarded.
The new review clause, which calls for a reopening of the text in April 2026, creates uncertainty on what the law will look like in 2027, damaging the EU’s credibility when it comes to ensuring coherence and predictable policy-making, and making it even more difficult for diligent investors to prepare for compliance.
Contacts:
Andrea Carta, Greenpeace EU senior legal strategist: [email protected]
Greenpeace EU press desk: +32 (0)2 274 1911, [email protected]
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Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. We do not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses or political parties. Greenpeace has over three million supporters, and 26 independent national and regional organisations with offices in more than 55 countries.
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