🔗 Share this article EU Deforestation Law Largely 'Dismantled' After High Hopes Widely celebrated as a pioneering regulation that would curb the global scourge of deforestation. However, the revised version of the European Union's anti-deforestation law, once touted as the crown jewel of the Green Deal, has been passed in a severely weakened state, leading to alarm from its initial author and green lawmakers. "It has been gutted," stated the law's original author, citing the exclusion of crucial requirements for later-stage companies to verify the provenance of commodities like coffee, cocoa, beef, soy, palm oil, rubber and timber. Schally cautioned that a reduced number of responsible companies, fewer data points, and less precise origin data would complicate the task of authorities. A Watered-Down Law Green party vice-president a leading green politician was more blunt, describing the postponements, exceptions and new loopholes – including one for printed products – as the "systematic weakening" of the law. This final text is a far cry from the hopes of over 1.2 million EU citizens who supported an initiative in 2020 calling for a prohibition of deforestation-linked products. When launched in 2021, then-Green Deal commissioner Frans Timmermans called it "the most ambitious legislation proposed to fight forest loss." A Story of Dilution The regulation's dilution has been interpreted as the EU walking back its environmental promises. The proposal encountered significant delays, reportedly over IT issues, which drew condemnation. "By reopening this file rather than fixing a simple IT problem, the commission opened Pandora’s box," remarked Toussaint. In its first draft, the law required companies to track goods back to their exact plot of land using GPS coordinates, making them liable for forest loss along their supply lines with criminal charges and large financial penalties. "It wasn't bureaucracy for its own sake," the former official explained. "These rules were the tool that made the rules enforceable, established traceability, and prevented firms from obscuring their activities behind opaque production networks." Intense Lobbying However, the rigorous checks triggered a backlash in the EU capital from large companies, producer countries, rightwing parties and member states with forestry industries. Experts cite last year's EU elections as a turning point, creating a new political majority less favorable toward environmental rules. "Additional intense pressure came from big trading partners like the United States," noted expert Andreas Rasche, suggesting the EU yielded to some requests during negotiations. The Weakened Final Text In the final legislation features key dilutions: Downstream operators were mostly exempted from conducting rigorous checks. A new exemption for small operators was introduced. A window for further "simplifications" was established for next spring. Only four countries – geopolitical adversaries of the EU – will face the strictest monitoring. "Rather than strengthening downstream obligations, it stripped them back," lamented the law's author. "Moving obligations upstream, it reduced accountability." Business Frustration The delays and changes have also created annoyance for businesses that complied early. "We feel very annoyed because we put a lot of effort into preparing," stated Xavier Rombouts. "We purchased systems, trained staff and established procedures... now they’re saying it could be altered again. It’s a big frustration." The Commission's Stance A commission spokesperson defended the outcome, saying: "The commission has responded to feedback and acted to ensure a pragmatic and balanced implementation." "The new text provides for predictability, which is key for business and national regulators to successfully implement this very important law."