Press release
No EU deforestation rules enforced until 2026 – lawyers react to “collective act of self-sabotage”
14 November 2024
Members of the European Parliament today voted through the Commission’s recent proposal to delay the EU’s flagship anti-deforestation law by 12 months - a major setback for the world’s forests and the global fight to hold back the climate crisis.
ClientEarth lawyer Michael Rice said:
“Today’s outcome is an embarrassing confirmation of the EU’s collective failure to take the urgency of global deforestation seriously and to follow and enforce its own laws. The deforestation law has been years in the making and was adopted over 18 months ago after more than a year of negotiations – there was more than enough time to prepare for it.
“This is a collective act of self-sabotage and a terrible signal to the world – just as world’s leaders meet in Azerbaijan to build on climate commitments. We cannot hit pause on the climate crisis – the effects of which are already being severely felt in the EU through floods, forest fires and droughts. We cannot afford for EU consumption to continue fuelling the destruction of the world’s forests for another day, let alone another year.
“The delay also run counter to the expectations of those companies that are ready to comply with the law and have already made significant investments to do so – many of whom spoke out in favour of the EUDR in the run-up to today’s vote. This delay could undermine business confidence in the EU’s ability to provide a stable regulatory environment that is so important for EU competitiveness.”
In last-minute negotiations and following a huge outcry from civil society, businesses and investors to keep the current start date and not to tamper with the law, the European People’s Party withdrew a number of proposed changes, but a proposal to create a new “no risk” category for the Commission’s country benchmarking exercise was adopted by a small majority. This effectively means that the rules will not apply to products from some countries.
ClientEarth lawyers argue that this legal change - if agreed by Member States and implemented - would undermine the very foundation of the law, defeating the purpose of its product traceability system, and make monitoring and enforcement practically impossible for Member States. It also creates significant potential for circumvention, risks rendering the law inconsistent with WTO requirements and could needlessly draw the Commission into disputes with global trading partners.
Rice said:
“The proposed ‘no risk’ category and the detail behind it makes no sense, risks undermining the entirety of the law, and should be rejected by the Council.
“We repeat our call to the Commission to withdraw its proposal to delay the deforestation law. Urgent action is needed now - every single day counts in the climate fight, and another year of EU-approved deforestation is not an option.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About the EU Deforestation Regulation
90% of global deforestation is linked to the production of just a few agricultural products that end up in our shops and supermarkets in some shape or form: products like beef, leather, soy – which is mainly fed to chickens, pigs and cows – palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber and timber. The EU doesn’t produce many of those products yet is a huge consumer of them – it is the second biggest importer of deforestation in the world through its import and consumption of these products.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – adopted in June 2023 – prohibits companies from putting products on the EU market unless they are deforestation-free, degradation-free and legally produced.
In October 2024, the Commission announced its plan to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation by 12 months, pushing the deadline to December 30, 2025 This decision was later submitted to a vote in plenary session of the European Parliament.
Such a delay risks crossing catastrophic tipping points; according to WWF’s Living Planet report 2024, the Amazon is expected to collapse if 20-25% is deforested - we have already deforested 17%.
246 civil society organisations recently called on the European Parliament and all EU governments to reject the European Commission’s proposal to delay by 12 months the application of the EUDR.
About ClientEarth
ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account, and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.