Rolling back forest protections – why Europe must say no to deregulation and defend its forests law
EIA is adding its voice to civil society organisations across Europe to call on all EU institutions and member states to stand by their commitments and uphold the integrity of the landmark European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The EUDR is essential for forests, resilient supply chains and global climate stability and we believe EU lawmakers should focus on enabling its implementation, not on deregulation.
After years of campaigning by EIA and our partners in the #Together4Forests coalition, the EU made a commitment in 2023 to help end global deforestation — not just through words, but through action.
That promise became law in the form of the EUDR, which aims to ensure that products sold in Europe — such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, beef and timber — do not come from land where forests have been destroyed or which have been produced in violation of local laws.
But now, just as the EUDR is poised to take effect, it’s at risk of being butchered.
At the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in May, Ministers from Austria and Luxembourg proposed “simplifying” the law. But this isn’t harmless bureaucratic trimming, it’s a serious threat to one of the world’s most progressive new laws.
At a meeting due to take place next Tuesday, two MEPs have proposed introducing the same major loopholes.
Why we need the EUDR
Every year, millions of hectares of tropical forest are destroyed — often to make way for products that end up in our supermarkets. This destruction isn’t just tragic for wildlife and indigenous communities, it’s a major driver of climate change.
The EUDR tackles this head-on by requiring companies to show that certain products are deforestation-free, meaning they haven’t contributed to forest loss after 2020.
This protects forests and levels the playing field for businesses that are already doing the right thing. It also requires compliance with the laws of producer countries, including the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
More than one million Europeans responded to an EU public consultation that led to the EU’s landmark EUDR.
By 2035, the law could protect more than eight million hectares of forests around the world from EU consumption, an area approximately the size of Austria.
Oil palm plantation, East Kalimantan, Indonesia (c) EIA
The problem facing the EUDR now
The law has already been delayed once and already has simplified obligations based on risk levels. Under the benchmarking system, all EU countries are classified as “low risk”, meaning most European producers face reduced due diligence obligations. But basic information still required, such as knowing where products come from, which is essential to prove compliance and prevent illegal or unsustainable goods from entering the market.
What is being proposed now by a few MEPs and member states would create a backdoor under the guise of “zero or negligible risk” countries – a dangerous loophole which undermines the progress we have made and also could lead to World Trade Organisation challenges.
It’s like saying “Some countries are probably fine, let’s just trust everything from there”, but we still need to know the actual origin of products.
Without that basic information, illegal and unsustainable goods can still be traded, undermining the whole point of the law.
The first trial shipment of timber exported from Indonesia to the EU under FLEGT in 2012
A global issue
This is not just a European issue. All around the world, people are urging their governments to uphold robust regulatory systems that protect forests and ensure justice for the communities who depend on them.
Recently in Indonesia, civil society, including our long-term partner Kaoem Telapak, have once more stood up to pressures to weaken existing laws. The Indonesia Government has again proposed to weaken its timber legality system (SVLK), which has positioned the country as a trusted source of legally verified wood exports since 2010 — worth $14.51 billion in 2022 alone.
More than 50 Indonesian organisations and experts have pushed back, warning that the proposals would jeopardise hard-won market trust, harm smallholders by increasing confusion and putting up barriers to global trade while undermining a system which had helped to reduce illegal logging and forest degradation.
Back in 2020, the Government of Indonesia shelved previous plans to weaken timber regulations after outcry by the private sector and civil society.
For more than a decade, Indonesia’s timber reforms and legality system have been recognised by the EU through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement under the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative.
Villagers in their ancestral community forests, Muara Tae, Indonesia (c) EIA
We call on EU leaders to uphold the EUDR
Implementation must be practical, but that doesn’t mean removing fundamental pieces of the EUDR.
Instead of removing requirements, the EU should focus on providing implementation support, including multi-stakeholder dialogues for both EU and global producers using the lessons learnt through FLEGT VPAs, as well as investing in training, systems and tools that enable long-term success for communities on the ground, businesses and enforcement agencies.
We urge all EU institutions and member states to defend the EUDR, to reject proposals that dismantle it and to stand with global forest defenders, communities and ethical businesses.
