EU urged to face down pressure to reopen deforestation law amid review
· EUobserverThe European Commission delayed its landmark deforestation law, in the wake of immense pressure from the centre-right European People’s Party, industries, and countries affected. (Photo: CodiePie)
EU urged to face down pressure to reopen deforestation law amid review
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By Benjamin Fox,
Nairobi
,
US lawmakers have urged the European Commission not to reopen its new regulation aimed at curbing deforestation, despite pressure from the Trump administration to exempt US firms from the law.
On Monday (27 April), the commission confirmed that it would publish a review of the law this week but refused to be drawn on what it might recommend. However, commission officials have indicated that they will use the review to propose targeted tweaks to simplify implementation and adjust the list of products covered by the regulation.
In their letter to the EU executive on Friday 24 April, a group of 32 US Congress members said that a carve-out for US firms by designating the US as a ‘no risk’ country would “not only encourage forest loss and degradation but also disadvantage companies in the United States and elsewhere that have prepared to comply with the EUDR.”
It would also create “uncertainty, inefficiencies, and inconsistencies”, they said.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was drawn up to require businesses trading cocoa, coffee, timber, palm oil and rubber to ensure that their products were not linked to deforestation anywhere in their supply chain.
Adopted in 2022 by wide majorities by the EU institutions and with the support of big business, Brussels officials claimed it showcased sustainable business practice.
But it has become one of the EU ‘green deal’ laws to have fallen victim to political pressure from EU lawmakers to reduce the bureaucratic burden on businesses amid concerns about competition with China and the United States.
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The European Commission delayed its landmark deforestation law, in the wake of immense pressure from the centre-right European People’s Party, industries, and countries affected. (Photo: CodiePie)
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Author Bio
Benjamin Fox is our trade and geopolitics editor. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He is based in Nairobi, Kenya, although he often reports from London.