The law – intended to combat deforestation worldwide caused by products such as coffee, soy, and meat – was adopted with a large majority in the European Parliament and EU countries less than two years ago and was considered a significant step against the import of goods from cleared rainforest areas.
The postponement proposal was approved with 402 votes in favor, 250 against, and 8 abstentions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that over the past thirty years more than 420 million hectares of forest – an area larger than the EU – has been lost due to deforestation.
In 2024, 8.1 million hectares of forest have already been lost, and the EU has a significant share through its consumption. Consider soy (for animal feed), leather, wood, cocoa, palm oil, and coffee. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that around a hundred trees are cut down every minute.
Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout (GroenLinks-PvdA) said that with this decision, "the EU is putting not only the global future of forests at stake but also Europe’s credibility. Due to blunders and opportunistic politicians, a crucial law now risks being doomed,” Eickhout said.
He notably criticized the role of the Christian Democrats. They voted for the original law – were even the chief negotiators – but since then have tried to weaken it. "We even attempted to strike a deal with the center, but the Christian Democrats once again sought support from the far right. With this dismantling policy, they further erode the governability and credibility of Europe."
Dutch liberal Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (D66/Renew) says this is not only a delay but possibly a cancellation. According to him, this effectively kills one of the easiest and cheapest ways to actually tackle climate change.
"The European Commission is currently flooding us with proposals to weaken regulations. It has completely gone too far, and the most innovative companies will be the first to feel this. The lower the standards, the worse it is for the sharpest entrepreneurs. This is a choice for large, wealthy laggards and not for the future."
Dutch MEP Sander Smit (BBB/EVP) welcomes the new postponement: "It’s time now to stop the deforestation bureaucracy and drastically reduce the forest of paper rules. This is the kind of bureaucracy from the overreached Green Deal that BBB has consistently opposed.
Earlier, the EU countries already defined their position. Now that the European Parliament has done the same, a deal is expected within a few weeks. A vote on this must take place by December at the latest, otherwise the currently disputed law will still come into effect on January 1."