Parliament's view of a postponement was passed by 402 votes to 250 in a vote in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
This means that final negotiations can begin with the EU member states in the hope of reaching an agreement before the end of the year, when the new rules were otherwise intended to come into force.
"This was legislation that initially had a lot of questions and question marks around it, so I think it's good that some of them are being straightened out. This is good for Swedish forest owners," says Jessica Polfjärd (M) after the vote.
This shows that when the right stands together, we can do a lot of good for Swedish jobs and Swedish workers, says colleague Beatrice Timgren (SD).
Bureaucracy
The so-called EU Deforestation Regulation, EUDR, aims to stop imports of products produced on land where rainforest has recently been cleared. However, there has been sharp criticism from several countries outside Europe as well as companies and forestry companies in Europe, who are concerned about excessive administration and bureaucracy.
Uncertainty about how the rules will be followed led to the introduction being postponed for a year last year. It is now expected that they will not come into effect until December 30, 2026 at the earliest.
In parallel, the European Commission has also had problems building the IT systems needed for the rules.
"Disaster"
The fact that the rules are being postponed and made less stringent is also receiving harsh criticism from environmentalists.
"It is a complete disaster. It is further proof of how both the Commission and the current Parliament have completely lost leadership on the climate issue," says Pär Holmgren (MP).
"I can understand that there may be purely administrative hassles in this legislation. But the day when we completely stop deforestation, especially rainforests in Brazil and Indonesia, then we will also avoid the hassle," says Holmgren in Strasbourg.
Of the Swedish members, S, M, SD, C and KD voted for a postponement. MP, V and L voted against.
Wiktor Nummelin/TT
Facts: EU deforestation law
TT
The EU's "regulation to minimise EU-driven deforestation and forest degradation", abbreviated EUDR, was finally approved by EU member states and the EU Parliament in the spring of 2023.
The idea is that a number of products, such as coffee and cocoa, will only be allowed to be imported into the EU if they have been proven not to have been produced on land where, for example, rainforest has been logged after 2021.
Several developing countries, including Brazil, have criticized the law, believing it to be unfair and to result in significantly more expensive administration. The forest industry and various importing companies in the EU have also been concerned about possible consequences and have also received support from a number of EU member states.
To give everyone time to prepare, the entry into force has already been postponed for one year. Now a further postponement is proposed and expected until at least December 30, 2026.
