Forest protection EU states want to postpone law to protect the rainforest

After months of criticism of a new law to protect the rainforest, the EU member states have agreed to a proposal from Brussels to postpone the project by one year.

"This postponement will allow third countries, Member States, economic operators and traders to fully comply with their due diligence obligations," the EU states announced.

If the European Parliament also approves the proposal, the law would not come into force until December 30, 2025 for large companies and June 30, 2026 for micro and small enterprises.

According to the regulation, products such as coffee, wood, soy, cocoa and palm oil may only be sold in the EU if no forests have been cleared for them after 2020. This is also intended to significantly reduce deforestation in the rainforest, for example in the South American Amazon region.

Specifically, companies will have to submit a due diligence declaration in future, which assures that no forest has been cleared or damaged for their product after December 31, 2020. Those who do not comply with the regulations will face high penalties of at least four percent of their annual turnover in the EU.

There had been criticism of the plan from the business community and across party lines, primarily because critics felt that those affected and companies would have too little time to comply with the rules from the end of the year.

SDA