Commission claims IT glitch forced second delay to EU deforestation rules 

Published on 23/09/2025 - 16:47 GMT+2

Implementation of EU deforestation rules volition beryllium delayed for a second time, to December 2026, the European Commission announced connected Tuesday, citing method issues successful the IT strategy dealing with the submission of owed diligence statements by affected businesses.

Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall revealed the postponement of the EU’s anti-deforestation instrumentality by 1 twelvemonth successful a missive sent connected Tuesday to lawmakers successful the European Parliament and the European Council, claiming the IT strategy wouldn’t beryllium capable to grip the travel of accusation coming from economical operators that would get from 1 January 2026.

Originally acceptable to footwear disconnected connected 30 December 2024, the Deforestation Regulation has suffered accrued unit from industry, governmental groups and 3rd countries affected by exports, saying the EU enforcement had failed to connection due guidance to assistance companies during the modulation phase.

The law requires suppliers of thenar oil, timber, coffee, beef and different commodities to beryllium their accumulation did not origin wood clearance. It was meant to go instrumentality connected 30 December 2024 and nonaccomplishment to comply would mean producers wouldn't beryllium allowed to merchantability successful EU markets.

The European People Party’s (EPP) group, which was instrumental promoting the archetypal hold of the EU anti-deforestation’s instrumentality past year, welcomed the EU executive’s program to postpone the instrumentality meant to assistance combat planetary deforestation claiming the instrumentality would beryllium a decease condemnation to the bulk of tiny players similar SMEs, farmers and java roasters.

A Commission spokesperson told reporters contiguous the archetypal deadline couldn’t beryllium met without causing proviso disruptions and denied immoderate nexus to the commercialized woody precocious struck with Indonesia, a state which enforcement of the instrumentality would interaction significantly, oregon different commercialized deals.

“We person to measurement backmost and spot however we tin code the risks, uncovering the close equilibrium betwixt the obligations of the economical operators and the IT system,” the EU spokesperson added.

The EU spokesperson said determination are “lots of requests to simplify rules” by businesses, hinting astatine the anticipation of a abstracted acceptable of rules to chopped reddish tape, paving the mode for accrued unit from lawmakers to downgrade cardinal provisions wrong the law.

German lawmaker Peter Liese, the EPP group’s spokesperson connected situation called for exemptions from onerous obligations connected forestry owners and farmers based successful Europe and successful 3rd countries.

“The extremity of stopping planetary deforestation is and remains the close one, but a bureaucratic monster weakens the acceptance of European biology policy,” Liese said, adding “simplifications indispensable present travel arsenic a substance of urgency”.

French lawmaker Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe) said the Commission’s determination was “deplorable” since the EU enforcement had had clip capable to set since the archetypal hold and added helium volition effort to propulsion for a much constricted delay.

“Any excessive hold would mean mislaid investments for the companies we person asked to play the crippled from the outset – and which person done so,” said Canfin.

“Unbelievable that the Commission is again trying to hold the EU deforestation law. Bad for business. Bad for investment. Bad for the planet. Commission, you are playing with fire,” said MEP Kathleen Van Brempt (Belgium/S&D) connected X.

Spanish MEP César Luena (S&D) said: “It is simply a disgrace and a wide deficiency of foresight to postpone the Deforestation Regulation for yet different year. If it is delayed due to the fact that they garbage to instrumentality it, that is precise serious; if it is owed to the Commission’s inability to negociate method matters, it is adjacent worse.”

Commissioner Roswall is presently reaching retired to the Parliament and Council and a connection volition beryllium tabled arsenic soon arsenic possible, according to the Commission spokesperson.