Reuters: Romania, other member states pressuring EU to weaken deforestation restrictions

The European Union is facing pressure from a group of 11 countries, including Romania, to delay and weaken upcoming legislation on deforestation, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.

The restrictions on deforestation brought by the new legislation are part of a larger effort to eliminate a tenth of global deforestation driven by EU consumption of soy, beef, palm oil, and other imported products.

The policy, however, has become a controversial element of Europe’s environmental agenda and was delayed until December 2025, following complaints from trade partners including Brazil and the US.

As such, starting in December, the EU will require operators placing soy, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, and other products on the EU market to provide due diligence statements demonstrating that the products did not contribute to deforestation. Due diligence requirements will also apply to EU exports, raising concerns among countries about the impact on their domestic industries.

Companies could be fined up to 4% of their EU turnover for non-compliance with these requirements.

In response, a group of 11 countries, led by Austria and Luxembourg, asked the European Commission to further simplify the rules and called for another delay in the implementation date.

“The requirements imposed on farmers and foresters remain high, if not impossible to meet. They are disproportionate to the regulation’s objective,” the countries said in a document that was due to be discussed Monday, May 26, in Brussels by EU agriculture ministers.

Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Slovenia also signed the document, according to Reuters.

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