The European Commission’s bid to simplify the EU’s deforestation rules is turning out to be anything but simple.
After weeks of behind-closed-doors talks with diplomats and MEPs, the Commission last week unveiled its plan to tweak the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), easing compliance for EU farmers and delaying enforcement for small businesses.
But several governments, including Czechia, are baffled by what they see as a policy U-turn. They expected the Commission to postpone the rules by a whole year to fix the EUDR’s IT system. Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný told Euractiv he was blindsided by the decision not to postpone the rules.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall had previously floated that idea, and some EU officials had thought it was a done deal.
In an interview on Monday in Luxembourg, Výborný said the Commission’s actions offer neither “stability nor foreseeability” to countries and companies preparing for the new rules.
“The European Commission is taking very chaotic steps and chaotic statements,” Výborný said.
Výborný said he’s frustrated by the Commission’s about-face. After Roswall’s earlier comments, he told small sawmills in September to expect a one-year delay.
“You can imagine that I feel like a fool when I talk to the guys [sawmills] now after what happened,” Výborný said.
According to Výborný, Roswall’s proposal to delay for 1 year fell through due to resistance from other Commissioners. As Euractiv reported, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera had been reluctant to endorse the plans.
Czech Commissioner Jozef Síkela, in charge of development and international partnerships, had supported the one-year delay plan, according to Výborný.
Czechia is now among the countries pushing for a broader delay until 2027. Latvia, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Poland are also advocating for the delay, and for EU countries to be classified as “no-risk” for deforestation, effectively exempting them from checks.
In addition to a note from Latvia, Prague has drafted a proposal, seen by Euractiv, amending entry into force dates to mid-2027. It adds that a comprehensive review of EUDR is needed, which is not possible “given the extremely limited time available.”
EU countries and the Parliament have little room to make changes to the Commission’s proposal before a 15 December deadline, the last Strasbourg plenary of the year.
The Czech proposal will be presented on Monday to the Danish Presidency and the European Commission.
Výborný now hopes to rally support from Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, whom he’s meeting tonight at a dinner of EPP ministers in Luxembourg, MEPs, and fellow member states.
“It’s careful optimism,” he said.
Germany’s Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer also said on Monday that he is not satisfied with the Commission’s proposal. Austria’s Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig similarly slammed it as a “bitter disappointment,” saying the Commission is presenting countries with a “take it or leave it” situation.
The Danish Presidency will seek guidance from EU ambassadors on Wednesday, a diplomat told Euractiv, and a negotiating mandate could follow as early as next week. Time to negotiate, indeed, is running short. But the diplomat warned the tight timeline leaves “no time for substantial negotiations” with Parliament.
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