Peter Liese: Entry into force on 30/12/2024 would have caused chaos / Chance for sensible dialogue and avoidance of unnecessary bureaucracy through clarification

The European Commission has proposed postponing the controversial regulation on deforestation by one year. The regulation had been heavily criticised not only by forest owners and farmers, but also by many economic operators and, above all, third countries, as the necessary conditions for an unbureaucratic implementation are not in place. “I very much welcome the proposal and am sure that my group and the entire Parliament will adopt it in the short term. The regulation entering into force on 30 December 2024 would have plunged us into irresponsible chaos. Many of the conditions for application are not clear and many third countries are rightly complaining. Small farmers, e.g. in Latin America, need much more support and we must ensure an unbureaucratic implementation. None of this is possible in the few remaining months. Of course, deforestation is a huge problem. Every minute, forests the size of eleven football pitches disappear. This is a disaster for the global climate as for other things, but we have to do it the right way and get those affected by the law more involved. Many third countries that want to take fundamental action against deforestation have so far been unable to use the instrument. Medium-sized coffee roasters that import fair-trade organic coffee complained, for example, that the rules could only be implemented promptly by large corporations. By rushing it into force, we would have done a disservice to the cause,” explained Peter Liese, environmental policy spokesman for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats).

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