European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen will suggest a manner out on the enforcement impasse on the brand new anti-deforestation regulation, she instructed colleagues at a European Individuals’s Celebration (EPP) assembly this week.
Talking to Euractiv, MEP and the EPP’s Spokesperson for Agriculture, Herbert Dorfmann, defined that such a proposal may very well be made within the subsequent few days.
“The president met with the EPP group and mentioned she would suggest both a postponement or one other momentary resolution inside days,” he said, stressing that reopening and revising the regulation must also be thought-about.
“Within the scenario we’re in, the entry into pressure is not possible,” Dorfmann added.
The legislation in query goals to make sure that merchandise imported into the EU – similar to cocoa, livestock, espresso, and soy – will not be sourced from deforested land, requiring corporations to supply geolocation knowledge for farms as proof of compliance.
Von der Leyen’s feedback on the EPP assembly could clarify the inflow of letters the Fee obtained on Thursday (19 September) in regards to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The Socialists have reiterated their help for sustaining the present implementation timeline, whereas the Greens/EFA group despatched von der Leyen a letter seen by Euractiv with related calls for on Thursday night.
Likewise, Renew MEPs Pascal Canfin, the liberal coordinator for the Surroundings Committee (ENVI), and Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, his counterpart on the Worldwide Commerce Committee (INTA), wrote to Inexperienced Deal Chief Maroš Šefčovič yesterday, echoing the requests above.
All three teams are calling for the rapid launch of the long-delayed pointers and FAQs to assist corporations finalise their preparations to implement the foundations. The Fee promised to publish these paperwork in March 2024, together with a benchmarking system rating nations by their deforestation threat, however neither has been launched.
The liberals said it’s “of the utmost significance that the EU stays on observe and don’t again down in opposition to exterior strain.” Additionally they urged the Fee to publish the benchmarking system earlier than the top of the yr.
What are the subsequent steps?
The important thing query now’s how von der Leyen will discover a resolution on the regulation’s enforcement, provided that it formally got here into pressure in June 2023, with the present interval serving as a transition section.
A proposal to postpone the enforcement may very well be tabled earlier than Surroundings Commissioner-designate Jessika Roswall takes workplace, as her affirmation listening to is simply set for late October.
One choice for von der Leyen is to suggest a brand new deforestation regulation that pushes again the compliance date, presently deliberate for 30 December 2024 or 30 June 2025 for micro and small companies.
Nevertheless, any new regulation would want to undergo the legislative course of, which requires approval from each the Council and the Parliament after negotiations, which might take months, if not years.
Alternatively, von der Leyen might go for fast-tracking the adjustments by means of an pressing process, bypassing committee-level approval and sending the proposal on to a parliamentary plenary. For instance, this process was used earlier this yr to change Frequent Agricultural Coverage (CAP) necessities for farmers.
Angelo Di Mambro contributed to the reporting.
[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro and Martina Monti]
