Eu’s landmark anti-deforestation law gutted by industry pressure, critics say

What was once celebrated as groundbreaking legislation to combat global deforestation has emerged from the EU legislative process as a shadow of its former self, according to environmental advocates and even the law’s original architect.

The EU Deforestation Regulation, initially designed as a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, has been significantly weakened through amendments that critics say render it largely ineffective. The most damaging change, according to the law’s author, is the removal of requirements for downstream traders to verify the origins of commodities like soy, palm oil, cocoa, and timber—products often linked to forest destruction in tropical regions.

Environmental campaigners worldwide had initially hailed the regulation as a “game-changer” that would force companies to prove their supply chains weren’t contributing to deforestation before selling products in EU markets. The legislation was expected to leverage the EU’s massive consumer market to drive global forest protection efforts.

However, after facing intense lobbying pressure from industry groups and some member states concerned about trade disruptions, the final version that passed this month bears little resemblance to the original proposal. One politician involved in the process described the legislation as having been “pretty much dismantled.” The weakened law now places fewer obligations on companies to trace their supply chains back to forest-risk origins, potentially allowing products linked to deforestation to continue entering European markets with minimal oversight.