US EditionEU brands just four countries as 'high risk' under deforestation law
- The European Commission published a legal act on May 22, 2025, classifying Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea, and Russia as high-risk countries for deforestation affecting EU imports.
- This classification follows concerns about recent forest loss, with Russia losing 5.59 million hectares between 2020 and 2024, equating to 816 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- The legislation covers products such as soybeans, cattle products, palm derivatives, timber, chocolate, and coffee, mandating that firms operating in countries classified as high or standard risk must provide credible evidence confirming these items were not sourced from areas deforested after 2020.
- Compliance checks will target 9% of exporters from high-risk countries and 3% from standard-risk countries, with fines up to 4% of EU turnover for violations, according to the Commission.
- The classification limits high-risk status to four countries despite criticism that some major deforestation sources like Brazil and Indonesia received standard-risk labels, with a review planned for 2026.
16 Articles
16 Articles
European Anti-Forestation Law Emptied of Its Substance
The European Union is going back to its environmental and climate ambitions in the name of competitiveness. The European Green Pact, adopted five years ago, does not have much to do with its initial shape. The latest example, the fight against deforestation, was at the heart of an extremely important and strict regulation, now emptied of its substance.
The Straits Times
The Star Kuala LumpurEU brands just four countries as 'high risk' under deforestation law
BRUSSELS -Commodities from just four countries will face the strictest checks under the European Union's anti-deforestation law, with major forest nations including Brazil and Indonesia spared the toughest rules. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Latin America Escapes EU Deforestation Blacklist
The European Commission has decided to exclude all Latin American countries from its list of “high-risk” deforestation zones under its new law against imported deforestation. Despite regions like the Amazon and the Gran Chaco suffering some of the planet’s worst environmental crises, Brussels chose to restrict its punitive measures to just four countries: Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Myanmar. Conveniently, all of them are already facing int…
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