Deforestation: Agreement is set, now revise the regulation!

“We welcome that the Council and Parliament have agreed to postpone the start of the EU Deforestation Regulation by 12 months. Until recently, the basic requirements for the application of the law were missing: There is neither a risk categorization of the areas of origin, nor is an information platform available that is ready for use across the board.  

The envisaged documentation and due diligence obligations are neither practicable nor proportionate in their current form. Companies are facing a massive avalanche of bureaucracy that could have a significant impact on production and supply chains.  

The trilogue agreement is only a first urgently needed partial success, but the real work begins now! The challenge now is to fundamentally revise the text of the regulation. The Commission, Parliament and Council must use the time gained by the postponement to make the text of the regulation fit for purpose. Without a fundamental revision, not only the competitiveness of many craft businesses is at stake, but also the acceptance of the law.

The aim of the regulation is to ensure that products relevant within and outside Europe that contain raw materials such as wood, cocoa, beef, coffee and soy do not contribute to deforestation. The law requires complete reporting along the value chain. However, it is questionable whether this measure is at all suitable and actually contributes to achieving the desired goal.”