Germany asks EU to postpone its law

Promulgated in 2023, this European regulation against deforestation plans to ban the marketing in the EU of a series of products from 2024 if they come from deforested land.

Germany has joined the criticism of the new European anti-deforestation regulation. Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir has asked the European Commission to postpone the entry into force of the text, scheduled for the end of the year.Companies need enough time to prepare”said the Green Party minister, specifying that Berlin had asked the European Union (EU) to delay the entry into force of the regulation. “half a year”i.e. until July 1, 2025.

Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expressed concern on Thursday about the ability of companies to implement the text. Speaking before the German Association of Digital and Newspaper Publishers, the head of government said he had discussed these difficulties with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, insisting that “that the regulation be suspended until the issues raised have been clarified”.

Promulgated in 2023, this European regulation against deforestation plans to ban, from the end of 2024, the marketing in the EU of a series of products (cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, wood, beef, rubber, leather, furniture, paper, etc.) if they come from land deforested after December 2020. Professionals in the paper, chocolate, furniture or hygiene product sectors using palm oil would be particularly affected by the new regulation.

Importing companies, responsible for their supply chain, will have to prove traceability through geolocation data provided by farmers, combined with satellite photos. This week, Brazil also asked the EU to postpone the entry into force of the regulation, just as the United States had requested in June. The text has also raised serious concerns from African, Asian and South American countries, worried about additional costs for their farmers, ranchers and foresters.