Space News from SpaceDaily.com
EU proposes to trim anti-deforestation rules to ease rollout
Brussels, Belgium, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025
The European Commission said Tuesday it wanted to ease sweeping anti-deforestation rules by exempting thousands of firms from paperwork and cutting back requirements for small companies.

EU officials said the proposed changes -- including a six-month grace period for large companies -- seek to solve some underlying technical issues and lower the administrative burden for businesses covered by the rules.

They mark the latest reversal by Brussels on a landmark law banning imports of products driving deforestation that was cheered by environmentalists but assailed by key trading partners.

The law was initially meant to come into force at the end of 2024 but that deadline was pushed back by a year, and then last month the EU's executive cited IT issues to propose postponing its rollout by a further year to the end of 2026.

It partially backtracked on Tuesday, proposing to keep the end of 2025 deadline for large and medium companies, but withholding sanctions for non-compliance for six months.

Small firms would have until the end of 2026 to comply, the commission said.

The amendments, which need approval by member states and the European Parliament, also envisage a lighter compliance regime.

The law, known as EUDR, bans goods produced using land deforested after December 2020.

At-risk items include anything from coffee to cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber .

Firms importing such merchandise to the 27-nation European Union will need to provide a statement alongside geolocation and satellite data to show the goods did not originate from deforested zones.

Under the original plan, such papers had to be submitted also by companies who then purchase, process and sell the items -- for example, sweet makers who buy cocoa to make chocolates.


- 'Good news' -


But the commission said last month that the extra layer of checks risked overloading the IT system designed to support implementation of the rules.

So on Tuesday it axed the requirement for all but first importers, something EU officials said would exempt thousands of companies from filing paperwork.

In another cut, small-hold producers in Europe and countries designated as being at low risk from deforestation will have to provide only a one-off declaration when registering on the system, the commission said.

Fern, an environmental group, welcomed the changes, after the earlier suggestion of a blanket one-year delay had brought renewed scrutiny to the EU's commitment to a greener future.

"It's good news that the European Commission has heeded the calls not to delay the EUDR for everyone -- and therefore reward the laggards who aren't ready to comply," said the group's forest campaigner Nicole Polsterer.

Adopted in 2023, the deforestation law was hailed by green groups as a major breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and combat climate change.

It has, however, faced opposition from trading partners including Brazil and the United States, and some EU capitals, who allege businesses will suffer from red tape and increased costs.

But the commission's flip-flopping over the rules has also rankled firms that have already invested large sums to comply.

Italian chocolate-maker Ferrero and Swiss food giant Nestle were among the businesses that this month warned Brussels against using its IT troubles as an excuse to "reopen, delay, or change" the law.

"Companies need to know what to prepare for, and by when," they wrote in a letter.

ub/raz/jxb

Nestlé


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
US soliciting new bids for Moon mission amid SpaceX delays: NASA chief
Asteroid with Second-Fastest Orbit Discovered Hidden in Sunlight
WVU engineers recalibrate radio telescopes to illuminate dark energy

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Carbon storage portfolios must mix nature and technology to achieve lasting climate stability
Helping farmers, boosting biofuels
Machine learning and solar energy unite for sustainable soil remediation

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
EU says drone defences not 'optional' in push to face Russia
Sateliot and ESA collaborate on system to remove GPS reliance in satellite IoT
China deploys Pakistan's first hyperspectral satellite with Kinetica 1 rocket

24/7 News Coverage
Ancient cherts reveal how the ocean floor cooled over billions of years
Ancient sea creatures may have navigated using Earth's magnetic field
Bionic Eye Restores Reading Vision for Patients Blinded by Macular Degeneration


All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.