The implementation of the regulation is suspended until December 2025, specifically at the request of third countries seeking additional time to comply with the norms. The letter, accessed by Lusa, highlights the possibility of another deadline extension.
In the letter, 18 agriculture ministers emphasize that regulation 2023/1115 does not consider the existing forest protection standards adopted by each country nor those with negligible deforestation risks, imposing “disproportionate bureaucratic obligations” upon them.
The letter underlines that deforestation combat rules should be part of the package for reducing bureaucracy and simplification adopted by the EU executive.
The governments of the 18 countries involved also assert that excessive and redundant requirements should be removed in countries where agricultural activity does not significantly reduce forests and in those considered low-risk.
Apart from the Portuguese minister, José Manuel Fernandes, the letter is signed by his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Sweden.
The legislation was enacted in 2023, but its entry into force was postponed until December of the same year.
According to Brussels data, forests cover 30% of the Earth’s surface, and 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity is found in forests.
The EU has established rules aimed at regulating the entry into the EU market and the export from the EU of products contributing to deforestation and global forest degradation.
