Deforestation Law Delay: EU's Green Agenda Conundrum

The European Parliament approved a one-year delay to a pivotal deforestation law, originally set to begin in December 2024, now pushed to December 2025. This law aims to ban the import of goods like beef and soy linked to deforestation. The delay reflects industry pushback against EU climate measures.

The European Parliament has given its approval to postpone Europe's landmark deforestation law by one year, now effective December 2025. This law will prohibit the import of products such as beef and soy that are tied to forest degradation.

The delay reflects the EU's green agenda facing significant pushback from various industries, including automakers and airlines, who argue that the climate measures are too burdensome. The decision offers temporary relief to countries and companies that were against the policy. Nations like Brazil and Indonesia have criticized the law as protectionist, fearing it may exclude small-scale farmers from the EU market.

Initially set to launch in December 2024, the policy will demand that companies ensure their supply chains are not linked to deforestation. EU farmers, too, cannot export products grown on deforested lands. Although efforts to weaken the policy were dismissed, the EU agreed to delay its implementation by a year. Deforestation linked to EU commodity imports produced at least 120 million metric tons of CO2 in 2021-2022, according to Global Witness.

(With inputs from agencies.)