EU Delays Anti-Deforestation Law Until 2025

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Facts

  • By a vote of 546 in favor, 97 against, and seven abstentions, the European Parliament on Tuesday approved a one-year delay for implementing the EU's anti-deforestation law, pushing the effective date to Dec. 30, 2025.[1][2]
  • The legislation will ban imports of various products including beef, coffee, cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, rubber, and paper products if they were produced on land that was deforested post-December 2020.[3][4]
  • The European Commission proposed the delay in October 2023 following concerns from EU member states, non-EU countries, traders, and operators about compliance readiness. The law was passed without amendments added recently by right-leaning politicians.[1][5]
  • According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately 420M hectares of forest, an area larger than the EU, were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020.[1]
  • EU consumption represents approximately 10% of global deforestation with more than two-thirds attributed to palm oil and soya production. An estimated total of 120M metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions came from EU commodity imports from 2021-22.[1][4]
  • Small businesses and microenterprises will have additional time to comply, with their deadline set for June 30, 2026.[1]

Sources: [1]PubAffairs Bruxelles, [2]Barron's, [3]Times of Malta, [4]Reuters and [5]The Malaysian Reserve.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Global Witness. This delay is unfortunate as it allows another year of immense deforestation that will result in significant carbon emissions. However, the bill's eventual passage is a silver lining — promising future protection for critical forests and support for climate stability. With the help of politicians and business leaders, fringe opposition groups were fortunately unable to stop this law from taking effect a year from now.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The European Conservative and Human Progress. The EU's deforestation law contradicts global forestation data, which shows a decline in deforestation rates and an increase in reforestation, particularly in developed countries. This regulation imposes unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on European businesses, raising the cost of goods due to stringent supply chain requirements. This results in shortages and higher consumer prices without significantly impacting global forest cover.