The head of environment policy for the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which emerged victorious in recent EU elections, has called for a two-year delay to market restrictions aimed at discouraging deforestation outside the EU. Peter Liese, an MEP since 1994 and freshly re-elected, told Euronews that recent contact with officials “at all levels” in the European Commission had shown him “everybody is aware that we have a problem that cannot be solved without postponement”. He considers a two-year delay to be a reasonable time.
Liese, a vocal critic of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in its current form, argues that it has been “turned into a bureaucratic monster” by the Greens, Social Democrats, Leftists, and French Liberals. He cites international pressure to withdraw or delay the legislation, particularly a letter from senior US trade and agriculture officials warning of “significant negative economic effects on both producers and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.” The letter, dated May 30th, highlights four key challenges for US producers in complying with the new rules, including the absence of an information system, lack of guidance from the EU executive, and the failure to designate competent national authorities.
While Liese’s call to delay the EUDR is not yet the official position of the EPP, it was met with applause at a group meeting on June 26th. The EPP, now the largest political grouping in the parliament, has expressed concerns over numerous aspects of environmental policy, particularly CO2 emissions standards for cars that they see as a de facto ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. They aim to reopen legislation to make it more technologically neutral.
Beyond the EPP, there have been moves among governments to revise the law. Austrian agriculture minister Norbert Totschnig claims that 20 of his EU peers have agreed that the deforestation law would “negatively affect sustainable and small-scale agricultural and forestry practices” and support a call for “urgent action” to exempt the smallest farmers, in addition to delaying implementation.
The European Commission has declined to comment on Liese’s statement or any ongoing discussions within the EU executive about reopening the file. However, they have previously stated that they are “working hard to ensure all the conditions are met for smooth implementation of the law” while keeping the situation “under constant review.”
