EU Council agrees to delay EUDR implementation by one year

BRUSSELS, October 17, 2024 — The European Council has agreed to support the Commission’s proposal to postpone the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation [ EUDR ] by one year. This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators, and traders to be fully prepared in their due diligence obligations, which is to ensure that certain commodities like coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and products sold in the European Union [EU] or exported from the EU are deforestation-free.

The Council will inform the European Parliament, which is expected to vote on the European Commission’s proposal in a plenary session on November 13-14, 2024. After the Parliament vote, the Council will also have to vote on the formal adoption of the regulation, but this is considered a formality.

The coordinators of the political groups in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety [ENVI] Committee of the European Parliament decided on October 14 to use the urgency procedure without a committee stage, according to article 170 of the European Parliament internal regulation. Members of Parliament from the European People’s Party [EPP], the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats [S&D], and Renew Europe expressed their intention to vote in favour of the proposal to postpone the implementation date of the EUDR. The three parties together account for 401 seats out of the total 720 seats of the European Parliament.

The Left group blamed the Commission for the delay and said it might also vote in favor of the proposal, although it could also ask for improvements to the text. The Greens also criticised the Commission and asked for assurances that there would be no further delay after the proposed twelve-month postponement. They must now ensure that the postponement does not open Pandora’s box and that the law is not weakened.

On the right-wing side of the Parliament, all the biggest groups are asking for the delay to be approved, with some differences. Christine Schneider from the EPP group said that they would ensure that the law isn’t directly applicable, and they need to adopt the extension very quickly. Beatrice Timgren from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group called for the whole regulation to be reconsidered, as it poses huge risks to European businesses and bureaucracy.

https://thecooperator.news/eu-delays-mandate-for-businesses-to-curb-supply-chain-deforestation/

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