EU – The European Union (EU) has reiterated its stance against postponing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) despite major agriculture-exporting countries’ objections.
EU informed World Trade Organisation (WTO) members that it will not delay the enforcement of its deforestation regulation, which is set to be implemented from December 30.
This decision comes despite objections from major agricultural exporters like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the US.
During the Agriculture Committee meeting, the EU contends that delaying implementation would necessitate legislative changes and would not provide legal predictability for operators promptly.
However, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) criticised the EUDR, suggesting it prioritises protecting the EU’s agricultural sector while promoting exports.
GTRI argues that this regulation acts as a trade barrier under the guise of an environmental measure. The regulation affects various products including cattle, buffalo, bovine meat preparations, oil cake, soybeans, palm oil, cocoa beans, chocolate, coffee, leather hides, paperboard, wood products, and furniture.
Exporters must now ensure these goods are sourced from land not deforested after December 31, 2020. Large firms have an 18-month compliance period while small firms have 24 months. Consequently, large firms must comply by December 2024 and small firms by June 2025.
The European Cocoa Association (ECA) has also joined a growing chorus of calls for the EUDR regulations surrounding deforestation within supply chains to be pushed back in its implementation.
In an open letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, the organisation asserted that the region could ‘not afford to fall behind and lose its competitive edge’ in its work on climate neutrality, with considerable concerns remaining over the legislation’s detailed delivery.
It follow a similar call to the EU Commission leader from the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called on her to agree a delay to the scheme’s implementation that is planned for the end of December.
Notably, the ECA added that the absence of clarity on key elements due to the repeatedly delayed publication of FAQs and guidance makes preparing for the Regulation highly uncertain from a legal perspective.
It also expressed ‘extreme concern’ over the monitoring information system linked to the EUDR programme, with the organisation citing fears over its design, implementations and capabilities to process the millions of farm data adequately.
In addition, it also said that a perceived lack of clarity over how the legislation will be interpreted also created further complexities that warranted a delay to the scheme.
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