The European People’s Party aims to delay and weaken a law banning the import of goods causing deforestation in the EU, but socialists and liberals plan to resist this move.
Once again, the centrist majority in the European Parliament faces internal disagreements on an environmental matter.
Next Wednesday, the Parliament will vote on the revision of the EU regulation targeting deforestation-free products, which bans imports of commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood if their production has led to deforestation or forest damage.
The European People’s Party (EPP) advocates for aligning the Parliament with member states’ requests to postpone the regulation’s application by one year and to ease the due diligence requirements for businesses. Meanwhile, the Socialists and Democrats alongside Renew Europe worry that such changes would substantially weaken the anti-deforestation standards.
Consequently, the forthcoming vote might reveal another split within the coalition supporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
«The EPP group is submitting amendments that mirror the Council’s stance exactly, word for word,» stated group spokesman Daniel Köster during a press briefing. «The EPP seeks a one-year delay to allow more time for negotiating the necessary legal adjustments.»
The original EU regulation on deforestation-free products was scheduled to take effect on 30 December 2024; however, three months prior, the Commission proposed postponing it by 12 months. The Council and European Parliament approved this, shifting the enforcement to the end of this year.
Subsequently, the European Commission issued a second delay, attributing it to technical problems in the IT system designed to manage due diligence declarations from affected companies. The Council and Parliament must now agree on this additional postponement.
Applying the brakes
On Wednesday, member states endorsed the Council’s position, which calls for a one-year delay until 30 December 2026, plus an additional six-month extension for micro and small operators.
This proposal would confine the duty of submitting due diligence reports to the operators placing the imported products on the market initially, thus exempting downstream operators from this responsibility. Member states also requested the Commission to conduct a simplification review by April 2026 to evaluate impacts on operators, potentially leading to modifications of the law.
MEPs supporting the regulatory update have rejected these proposals.
“The Council’s mandate is fundamentally flawed and unacceptable,” German Socialist MEP Delara Burkhardt told Euronews. “Conducting an early review before the regulation even becomes operational risks reopening discussions and further delays. It’s a backdoor method to stall the implementation.”
She remains hopeful for a consensus with the EPP before the vote but emphasizes that the regulation must be enforced promptly, particularly for large corporations.
Renew’s Dutch MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy also harshly criticizes member states’ demands.
“The Council’s stance represents a significant setback in combating deforestation and, by extension, climate change,” he commented. His concerns extend beyond this particular regulation to broader efforts advocating simplification and deregulation promoted by the Commission, which is dismantling several environmental protections previously adopted.
“If the objective is to attract investment, this brute-force approach to deregulation is counterproductive,” he explained. “It creates substantial economic uncertainty, especially for companies planning long-term investments aligned with environmental criteria.”