An almost completely bare forest area on a ridge in the Ore Mountains in Saxony, Germany. In recent years, the forest here has been severely affected not only by drought and bark beetles, but also by several storms. DPA/PHOTONONSTOP
The European Union said Tuesday, September 23, it will seek a new one-year delay to sweeping anti-deforestation rules cheered by green groups but assailed by key trading partners from the United States to Indonesia. The bill, which bans imports of products driving deforestation, is currently set to take effect at the end this year, but the European Commission said the supporting system was not ready. It would be the second postponement on implementing the law, which was passed in 2023 and was originally due to take effect in late 2024, before being delayed to late 2025.
"We have concluded that we cannot meet the original deadline without causing disruptions to our businesses and supply chains," commission spokesman Olof Gill told a press conference in Brussels. The EU's executive arm will push to delay the law's entry into force by one more year, to late 2026, he added. The postponement has to be approved by member states and the European Parliament.
The move is set to bring renewed scrutiny to the EU's commitment to a greener future, which has come under increased pressure from governments and industry over the past year. It came hours after the commission struck a free-trade deal with Indonesia, a prominent critic of the law – although environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said the two developments were "not linked at all".
