The European Union’s groundbreaking anti-deforestation law will focus its strictest checks on commodities from four ‘high-risk’ countries: Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea, and Russia. Announced by the European Commission, the legislation aims to curb deforestation by imposing due diligence requirements on companies importing goods such as soy, beef, and coffee into the EU.
Brazil and Indonesia, despite their high historical deforestation rates, will be classified as ‘standard risk’ and subject to lighter compliance checks. The law, faced with opposition from these countries, requires companies to demonstrate that their products were not grown on deforested land post-2020.
Giulia Bondi of Global Witness, while critiquing the selective strictness, emphasizes the law’s potential power to combat deforestation. Large firms must comply by 2025, while smaller companies have until mid-2026, under penalty of fines reaching 4% of turnover in EU countries.
(With inputs from agencies.)