The PES welcomes the Plenary vote compromise on the EU Deforestation Regulation. The EUDR will be delayed by one year, but the text remains strong and ambitious despite the attempt by the EPP to water down the legislation. The decision gives businesses, traders, and operators one more year to adapt to the regulation rules. We support a green, just transition which prioritizes the well-being of our society, planet, and industries; no one should be left behind during the ecological transition.
As Europe’s largest progressive force, the PES commits to protecting our forests and woodlands, our wetlands and our grasslands, as they are not only our home but are also vital to regulating our climate and ensuring food and water security.
S&D MEP Delara Burkhardt (ENVI Committee) was the shadow rapporteur and negotiator of the EUDR and provided excellent oversight over the file. Her work has ensured that the EUDR will not stray from its core principles.
Moreover, the PES is pleased to see that the right-wing attempts to water down the EU Deforestation Regulation were defeated, and that the fundamental elements of the text remain the same, ensuring that the EU remains a leading actor in the fight for nature and biodiversity preservation.
We support a pro-European, democratic majority, and will never normalise siding with the far right.
