EU guts and delays forest protection law – area the size of Moscow at risk of destruction

Brussels: Just now, the European Parliament approved a proposal by the European Commission to delay by one year the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a landmark measure originally set to curb Europe’s contribution to global deforestation. A series of amendments proposed by the EPP were also adopted, enabling further degradation of EU forests.

Adopted just last year, the EU Deforestation Regulation was hailed as one of the EU’s boldest steps to fight against the climate crisis. This abrupt backtracking, without any clear justification, is a blow to EU citizens’ demands, Europe’s international credibility and the integrity of the EU’s legislative process.

The delay was supported by conservative and right-wing groups of the EU Parliament and will have catastrophic consequences. According to the EU’s own estimates [1], a year-long delay will wipe out 2,500 km2 of forests, equivalent to the size of the city of Moscow. A forest clearance of this scale will accelerate climate change, devastate biodiversity, and put us all at risk of even more floods, fires and droughts.

Furthermore, the Parliament’s approval of amendments made by the centre-right EPP group has severely weakened the EUDR, making it inadequate to address global deforestation and have dire repercussions on EU soil as well. The new “no-risk” category will potentially exempt all EU countries from due diligence requirements. This change will undermine the EUDR’s objectives by allowing numerous countries to be classified as “no-risk” even where deforestation, degradation and illegal practices occur, continuing to flood the EU market with products linked to these destructive practices.

The EU alone is responsible for importing goods accounting for approximately 15% of deforestation associated with global trade. A deforestation footprint that is far too high for a continent hosting just 6% of the world’s population.

Riccardo Gambini, EU Bioenergy and Forest Policy Officer at BirdLife Europe, says: “This appalling rollback of anti-deforestation rules is a betrayal of all Europeans who championed the law and the responsible businesses ready to comply with it. Forests will bear the highest cost, but soon enough, we will all face the fallout of this reckless decision. By successfully gutting the law, nature-destructive, climate-crisis fuelling companies can continue their business-as-usual practices, while, those who acted responsibly are left to suffer the consequences of this purely political choice.”

The revised timeline pushes back the implementation of the EUDR to the 30th of December 2025 for large corporations, and 30th of June 2026 for small and micro enterprises.