STATEMENT: The EU Deforestation Regulation Should Not be Delayed

BRUSSELS (October 2, 2024) - Today, the European Commission proposed delaying the enforcement of its landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by twelve months, pushing the deadline to December 30, 2025.

The law seeks to ban the import of seven commodities-coffee, cocoa, soy, beef, palm oil, rubber and wood-along with certain derived products linked to deforestation or forest degradation from entering or being traded in the European market.

Following is a statement by Stientje van Veldhoven, Vice-President and Regional Director for Europe of World Resources Institute:

"The European Commission's proposal to delay the enforcement of the EU Deforestation Regulation is disappointing. It sends the wrong signal to national governments, both within and outside the EU, as well as to business partners, suggesting that the creation of a deforestation-free commodity market can wait.

"Given that the EU's imports of commodities account for 13-16% of global deforestation, despite representing only 7% of the world's population, its environmental footprint and consumer influence are disproportionately large. The world's forests cannot afford another year without stronger protection.

"While we recognize the challenges the regulation poses for some producing countries, particularly for smallholder farmers, the focus should have been on easing implementation and ensuring greater support for tropical-producing nations. Most disappointing is the push from EU countries to delay enforcement, despite having more technical and financial resources to establish supply chain monitoring and traceability.

"However, it is good to see that the proposal does not amend any substantive rules of the regulation. If this does not lead to further delays, we are still en route to a better protection of our global forests from harmful trade."

• Angela Bekkers

  Head of Communications, WRI Europe

• Darla Bijou van Hoorn

  Media Relations Manager