Hours before global experts, MEPs voted to postpone the EU's deforestation regulation. UN climate talks 'no longer fit for purpose'. Comments by host country President Ilham Aliyev at COP29 in Azerbaijan, who said gas and oil were “gifts from God,” sparked this debate.
The EUDR will be implemented at the end of this year. Its aim is to ensure that raw materials purchased in Europe come from land that has not been deforested.
Unilever Nestlé Mars Mondelez & Danone: Read on to find out if they are ready for EUDR.
However, some segments of the industry have reacted to the vagueness of the regulations, as well as the approaching implementation deadline of December 30, 2024.
Despite industry cries for assistance in implementation, including clarification and guidance on the regulation, the European Commission has remained silent for several months.
The European Council approved a delayed implementation in October. Yesterday, a vote in the European Parliament was adopted..
EUDR delay is negative
MEPs and environmental groups around the world reacted angrily to the vote. The new "low risk" category was also created for countries with stable or growing forests.
Bernd Lange, a German MEP on the social media platform X, said: "A very sad scene in the EUDR at the moment,"
The right to join a group before it is applied [the] Right tried to gut the legislation and won a majority. What about the credibility of EU lawmakers? What about the legal uncertainty facing businesses? "It's not over yet."
— Greenpeace EU (@GreenpeaceEU) November 14, 2024
Michal Wiezik, an MEP from Slovakia, said that timber imported from China is now considered less dangerous than imports from Nordic countries.
He wrote that "the credibility and effectiveness of the EP are weakened by the absence of a risk category for China.
There is virtually no deforestation in the world. [sic] There is no "risk-free" country in the entire world. The EU, the EPP and the far right have just created a whole bunch of them. [sic] "The content of the EUDR," Wiezik said.
The EUDR has been delayed. This is a positive step.
Environmental charity Earthsight likened the decision to three steps forward and one step back.
Greenpeace, an environmental NGO, has said that the European law on deforestation is one of the greatest successes of the EU Green Deal. The EPP group is seeking to weaken it and slow down the process.
Many groups and organisations have welcomed the extension. SEATINI Uganda (the trade organisation for Southern and Eastern Africa) said the extension would give companies time to comply with new requirements regarding deforestation in supply chains.
In an A4 sheet of paper there is a mixture of paper pulps from different mills. It is difficult to trace the exact forest from where this pulp was produced.
Deforestation regulations are being discussed by everyone (#EUDRTo really understand… pic.twitter.com/rFVXTb9oYg
— COPA-COGECA (@COPACOGECA) October 31, 2024
She also welcomed the introduction of a new category called "low risk", which would allow products from some countries to meet much less stringent requirements.
Owere Hannahington, a communications expert, told X: “This is a great opportunity for developing countries to clean up their coffee systems and prepare for compliance.”
Hannington said it was important that countries received funding to meet EUDR requirements.
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