EU to blacklist just four countries under deforestation
Belarus, North Korea, Myanmar, and Russia will make the cut – or the blacklist – according to three EU diplomats
BRUSSELS, May 14, 225 –– The European Union [EU] is preparing to label just four countries as high risk for deforestation – sparing major commodity exporters like Brazil and Indonesia – in a long-awaited move under its anti-deforestation law, reports Euractiv.
Belarus, North Korea, Myanmar, and Russia will make the cut – or the blacklist – according to three EU diplomats. “The real baddies,” one diplomat said. The document was discussed under tight secrecy in recent weeks during a meeting on 30 April and greenlighted by all member states on Monday.
The benchmarking is part of the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation [EUDR], which ranks countries as high, standard, or low risk. The category determines how strict due diligence rules will be for companies – which also means more checks – on those importing crucial agri-food commodities like cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil and beef.
The deforestation benchmarking, almost two years in the making, has previously stirred diplomatic unease – especially among major exporters like Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia, who lobbied hard to stay off the list. For now, they’re off the hook.
In documents released last year, the European Commission had floated the idea of targeting only countries already under EU or UN sanctions – a position it appears to have stuck with.
Environmental NGOs are also likely to be unhappy with the Commission’s move. In January, 40 NGOs urged the Commission to ensure that country benchmarking “objectively reflects real human rights and environmental risks,” rather than relying on sanctions criteria.
The European Commission declined to comment on the countries expected to be included on the list, which is set to be officially unveiled in June.
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