We, the undersigned organisations, call on the European Parliament and all EU governments to reject the European Commission’s proposal to delay by twelve months the application of the EU deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR).
The EUDR is a flagship achievement of the European Green Deal. It is a world first in the fight against deforestation, forest degradation and associated human rights impacts, which are driven by European production and consumption of products like beef, leather, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, timber, rubber, and soy.
The EUDR was adopted democratically, with a record level of public engagement and support. Nearly 1.2 million people in Europe told the European Commission directly that they don’t want to continue to be complicit with global deforestation and called for immediate action.
The world’s forests urgently need the protection that the EUDR offers. Following years of failures by the private sector to voluntarily address environmental and human rights impacts in their supply chains, the EUDR is a necessary and crucial step. By delaying its application and giving into the demands of vested interests, the European Commission is significantly undermining the EU’s credibility as a global leader in the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss and human rights violations.
President Von der Leyen’s hesitation stands in stark contrast to the urgency of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who in June 2024 called on global leaders to secure a liveable future for people, stating unequivocally that “It’s climate crunch time. The need for action is unprecedented” (1).
A delay will effectively reward those companies who are continuing to profit from environmental destruction and do not want to change business behaviours, while penalising those who have already spent resources to comply with the EUDR.
It will also weaken the overall integrity of EU policymaking, put the European Green Deal into question, and ultimately send a signal to other major consuming countries that any regulatory measures to reach deforestation-free supply chains can wait.
Forests are key to a liveable future. They must be protected.
Members of the European Parliament and national EU governments: reject the European Commission’s proposal to delay the EUDR!
