EU finally agreed to postpone the law on deforestation

On Tuesday, the European Parliament finally agreed to a one-year postponement of the deforestation law, which was to come into effect on December 30, 2024, and prohibit imports of soybeans, beef and other products related to deforestation. The legislators’ approval will also allow EU countries to approve a postponement, which they will do within a week.

The delay in the adoption of the deforestation law is a blow to the EU’s “green” policy, which is being opposed by some industries, from automakers to airlines, as they consider the EU’s climate change measures too burdensome. However, this will ease the situation for countries that opposed the new EU policy. Brazil and Indonesia consider the law to be protectionist and claim that it will drive millions of small farmers out of the EU market.

Under the new law, importers of soybeans, beef, palm oil, coffee and other products to the EU will be required to provide evidence that their supply chains do not contribute to deforestation. EU farmers will be prohibited from exporting products grown in deforested or degraded areas.

MEPs tried to weaken certain provisions of the law, but such proposals were rejected during negotiations with EU countries, so it was decided to simply postpone the adoption of the law for 12 months.

According to the human rights organization Global Witness, in 2021-2022, deforestation associated with the import of goods to the EU led to emissions of at least 120 million metric tons of CO2.

Tags: deforestation, EU