Proposed Amendments to EU Deforestation Law Create Dangerous Loopholes and Uncertainty

The World Resources Institute warns that proposed amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) risk 'defanging' the law through the creation of a 'no-risk' country category, the use of an outdated 1990 reference year for forest assessments, and ambiguous language that creates uncertainty for stakeholders and potential trade disputes.

• The introduction of a "no-risk" country category creates loopholes by exempting companies from key due diligence requirements, such as providing documentation and geospatial data, for products from countries with stable or increasing forest areas. This could allow deforestation-linked products from high-risk countries to enter the EU market via these "no-risk" countries.
• Using 1990 as the reference year for forest area assessments may fail to capture recent deforestation risks and degradation trends. This approach can miss deforestation if forests are replanted with less biodiverse trees or regrow elsewhere; for instance, while Vietnam's forest extent increased by 56% between 1990 and 2020, Global Forest Watch estimates over 1 million hectares were lost to commodity-driven deforestation between 2001 and 2023.
• The proposed amendments contain unclear and contradictory language that creates uncertainty for investors, companies, and smallholder farmers. Specifically, the text does not define who will verify the readiness of required IT systems and information platforms, nor does it explain how "no-risk" criteria align with the European Commission's country risk benchmarking methodology.
• The creation of the "no-risk" country category may conflict with World Trade Organization non-discrimination rules, which could lead to trade disputes and reduce the predictability of the EU's regulatory environment.

APA

van Veldhoven, S. (2024). Proposed Amendments to EU Deforestation Law Create Dangerous Loopholes and Uncertainty. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-proposed-amendments-eu-deforestation-law-create-dangerous-loopholes-and-uncertainty

Chicago

van Veldhoven, Stientje. Proposed Amendments to EU Deforestation Law Create Dangerous Loopholes and Uncertainty. World Resources Institute, 2024. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-proposed-amendments-eu-deforestation-law-create-dangerous-loopholes-and-uncertainty.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=van Veldhoven |first1=Stientje |title=Proposed Amendments to EU Deforestation Law Create Dangerous Loopholes and Uncertainty |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=18 November 2024 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-proposed-amendments-eu-deforestation-law-create-dangerous-loopholes-and-uncertainty |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vanveldhoven2024proposed, author = {van Veldhoven, Stientje}, title = {{Proposed Amendments to EU Deforestation Law Create Dangerous Loopholes and Uncertainty}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-proposed-amendments-eu-deforestation-law-create-dangerous-loopholes-and-uncertainty}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }