EU countries failed to reach a common position on proposed changes to the bloc’s landmark deforestation rules during a meeting of EU envoys on Wednesday, as divisions persisted over how far to go in reopening the text.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires importers of cocoa, coffee, palm oil, cattle, timber, and rubber to prove their products are not linked to deforestation. The European Commission proposed last month to reopen the rules to ease implementation and avoid overburdening the IT system needed to share compliance data.
The Danish Council presidency circulated a compromise on Monday that would postpone the EUDR’s entry into force by one year – from December 2025 to December 2026 – and remove the six-month grace period initially proposed by the Commission. The Danish draft maintained the simplification measures proposed by the Commission but stopped short of introducing new ones.
However, there was no clear majority in favour of the Danish proposal, EU diplomatic sources told Euractiv. While most delegations supported delaying implementation by a year, one diplomat said, divisions centred on whether to include a “review clause” that would allow the legislation to be reopened again next year for further changes.
Following Austria’s move last week, Sweden – a major EU forestry country – circulated its own proposal, which also includes a one-year delay, a review clause, and the deletion of reference-number requirements for downstream operators.
The main elements of the Swedish proposal were backed by at least 10 countries, but still fell short of a majority. Diplomatic sources pointed that big member states like France and Spain didn’t support it, while Germany – likely due to internal disagreements in the government coalition – refrained from taking a clear position. The Commission also rejected the idea of introducing a review clause, a source added.
With member states deadlocked, the Danish presidency is expected to put forward a new compromise by the end of this week, or early next week. Time is running out, as an agreement with the European Parliament needs to be reached by the week of 15 December.
(aw)