European Parliament agrees to dilute and postpone EU deforestation rules

The European Parliament approved a revision of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products on Wednesday, softening due diligence obligations for businesses and delaying the measure's entry into force by one year.

The vote split the centrist majority, another example of the increasingly frequent convergence between the European People's Party (EPP), the Conservatives (ECR), and the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) on environmental issues.

The deforestation regulation prohibits imports of commodities such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood if their extraction has contributed to deforestation or forest degradation.

It was initially set to enter into force on 30 December 2024, but the European Commission then proposed a 12-month postponement, which the Council and the European Parliament approved last year.

The Commission then proposed delaying its application by another year, citing technical issues with the IT system used to handle due diligence statements submitted by affected businesses.

EU ambassadors backed the delay during talks on 19 November and outlined some changes to soften the due diligence requirements and decrease the burden on companies, meaning today's vote by the Parliament largely reflects what has been agreed by EU governments.

Medium and large operators will now have until 30 December 2026 to comply with the regulation, while micro and small businesses will need to comply from 30 June 2027.

Only operators who first place a product on the market are responsible for submitting its required accompanying due diligence document, effectively sparing downstream operators and traders from having to submit separate due diligence statements. For micro and small primary operators, only a one-off simplified declaration is now expected.

A review by 30 April 2026 to assess the law’s impact and administrative burden is also included in the new text, and MEPs voted to exclude books, newspapers, and other products of the printing industry from the reporting requirements.

Right-wing majority strikes again

The changes were approved with 402 votes in favour, while 250 members of the Parliament voted against and eight abstained.

The EPP group pushed to align the Parliament's position with the requests coming from member states. They were supported by part of Renew Europe, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Patriots for Europe (PfE), and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN).

German EPP MEP Christine Schneider (Germany/EPP) welcomed the vote, saying it will help prevent illegal deforestation while reducing unnecessary burdens on farmers and foresters.

“A one-year postponement for all companies is essential to give authorities and operators the time needed to implement the rules properly," she said.

The EPP's traditional allies, Socialists and democrats (S&D), voted against the postponement. This group, along with the Greens/EFA and The Left, believes that the tweaks put forward by the EPP will dilute too much the anti-deforestation rules.

"Every minute, around 100 trees are cut or burned down to satisfy Europe’s demand for coffee, cocoa, beef, and other products," said German S&D MEP Delara Burkhardt. "That is why the EU Deforestation regulation must enter into force quickly and without loopholes, especially for large international companies with a high deforestation risk."

This fracture in the majority that supports the Commission's president Ursula von der Leyen follows other similar votes on environmental issues. The last one, two weeks ago, was about a package to ease corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for companies.

"Once more, a centre-right majority in the European Parliament managed to adopt a key legislative act for the business world," ECR president Nicola Procaccini said after the vote. "Many [MEPs from] Renew Europe joined the centre-right majority. This means that support for our platform and our political agenda is expanding.”

After today's vote, the Parliament will negotiate its position with EU member states. An agreement is needed to avoid the current deforestation law from entering into force in December 2025, meaning political talks will need to be fast-tracked.