EU considers delaying Deforestation-Free Regulation for exporters

The European Union (EU) is considering postponing the enforcement of its Deforestation-Free Product Regulation, initially set to come into force on December 30, 2024, to December 2025 for large and medium-sized companies and December 2026 for small businesses.

This potential extension responds to concerns from trade partners, including Ghana, about their readiness to comply with the regulation. The policy, introduced in

Read full article.June 2023, mandates that products like cocoa, palm oil, rubber, and wood imported into the EU be proven free of links to recent deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.

If approved, the regulation will require exporters to verify that their goods do not come from deforested lands, aiming to mitigate environmental degradation and illegal practices in production regions.

The European Parliament has not yet finalized the decision, though the European Council has granted preliminary approval. This extension could provide additional time for exporting nations to align with the EU's environmental standards and strengthen global efforts against deforestation.