Brussels – The European Commission has announced a plan to amend the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to weaken reporting requirements for EU traders (a category that includes manufacturers and retailers, regardless of their size) and small and micro companies that produce commodities and products in the scope of the law. The Commission also wants to delay the application of the law for small and micro companies, and grant a blanket six-month grace period for checks and penalties.
The decision comes less than a month before the opening of the COP30 global climate conference in Brazil, where the issue of forest protection will be central to discussions, and where the EU expects to play a key role to ensure progress.
Commenting on the announcement, Greenpeace EU legal strategist Andrea Carta said: “Today’s proposal shows where the obstacles to the application of the EU deforestation law really are – spoiler alert: not in the IT system. The Commission caved in to lobbying and political pressure and agreed to exempt EU manufacturers, as well as the EU forestry and the agriculture sector, from reporting obligations. This comes on the same day in which the conservatives and the far right in the European Parliament torpedoed the EU Forest Monitoring Law, showing that the EU conservatives lack the courage to admit that European forests are in danger and to act to protect them.”
In September, the Commission tried to blame its own IT services for failing to deliver the electronic platform that will be used by operators to submit their reports on EUDR compliance, suggesting that fixing that platform might have required delaying the EUDR’s application until the end of 2026. One month later, the Commission concluded that such a delay is not necessary for IT reasons, after all. However, it took the opportunity to propose amendments that may weaken the legislation to please EU based companies and forest owners.
Right and far right members of the European Parliament, several EU agricultural ministers and some companies have been putting pressure on the Commission to delay and water down the regulation. European forest owners, in particular, are asking to water down the EUDR requirements as they consider their countries to be at “zero risk” of deforestation, despite the ongoing degradation of European ecosystems. Today’s proposal is a nod to these pressure groups and shows that the Commission is bending over to appease lobbies and governments, instead of protecting EU citizens and the environment.
The EU deforestation law is meant to curb the EU’s global deforestation footprint by regulating a number of commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood) that are major drivers of deforestation, forest degradation and human rights violations, within and outside Europe. Products derived from these commodities would be excluded from the EU market, unless they are “deforestation-free” and legal.
Contact: 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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