Bulgaria and 10 more countries want to weaken the new EU rules against deforestation

The European Union is facing even more pressure from Member States to slow down and weaken its upcoming law to limit deforestation, with 11 governments requires changes, a document seen by Reuters shows.

The EU has already postponed its launch by one year to December 2025, following complaints from trading partners, including Brazil and the United States, and has reduced the reporting rules after industry criticism. Last week, the committee said it would save most of the countries’ most stringent inspections.

A group of 11 countries, led by Austria and Luxembourg, asked the European Commission to further simplify the rules and demanded that the date of their implementation reaped.

« The requirements imposed on farmers and foresters remain high, if not impossible to implement. They are disproportionate to the purpose of the regulation, » the countries said in a document that EU agriculture ministers will discuss in Brussels on Monday.

Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia have also signed the document.

From December, EU policy will require operators that launch soybeans, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and other goods to provide declarations of proper inspection proving that the goods do not nourish the deforestation.

The requirements for proper inspection will also apply to EU exports, which causes the countries to worry about the impact on their own industries.

Companies can be sanctioned up to 4% of their EU turnover for non -compliance.

Governments propose amendments, including the creation of a new class of countries, considered as a very low risk of deforestation, which will be released from customs inspections and tracking the origin of the goods.

A commission spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.