In coalition with the far right, the European People’s Party (EPP) has weakened key provisions of the EU’s deforestation regulation. Following today’s European Parliament vote, which permitted a dilution of the regulation, the Socialists and Democrats Group voices deep disappointment at what it considers a significant setback to the EU’s environmental commitments. This vote is yet another instance of the EPP torpedoing the Green Deal and undermining EU efforts on climate and biodiversity during an urgent environmental crisis. The S&Ds therefore call on the European Commission to withdraw its proposal.
Delara Burkhardt, S&D negotiator on the EU Deforestation Law, said:
“This deforestation regulation is vital to ensuring that products entering the EU market are free from deforestation, reinforcing the EU’s leadership in global environmental standards. While the S&D Group was open to a one-year delay to provide businesses time to adjust, we categorically opposed the EPP’s weakening amendments, which were pushed through with the support of far-right factions.
“By allowing these amendments to pass, the EPP has eroded the EU’s credibility in combating deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change. They have created uncertainty for operators and traders striving to comply with the regulation. They have also created an unfair system of double standards between the EU member states, where different member states will be classified in different risk categories.
“In response, the S&D Group is calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to withdraw the proposal entirely. With the core provisions of the regulation now compromised, a delay risks prolonged inaction and sends a troubling message about the EU’s environmental priorities.”
