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EU lawmakers in speak to further deteriorate logging law, document shows

Centreright legislators in the European Parliament have made proposals to further weaken the European Union's beleaguered law to ban product imports connected to logging, a file seen by Reuters revealed.

In its existing form, the landmark law would from Dec. 30 require business importing soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, wood, rubber and related items to prove their supply chains did not contribute to the damage of the world's forests, or face significant fines. Business exporting products from Europe would deal with the same obligations.

Brussels revealed plans last month to postpone the law's. implementation by a year, till Dec. 2025, after extreme. opposition from trade partners including the U.S., Brazil and. Malaysia.

EU lawmakers - who, together with EU member countries, are in. the process of authorizing the hold-up - now also want to weaken. parts of the law.

A document seen revealed legislators from the. centre-right European People's Celebration have actually proposed delaying. the law by a full two years, and exempting from its responsibilities. certain countries the EU deems to have an irrelevant risk of. deforestation.

Sources knowledgeable about the conversations stated this would likely. exempt exporters based in EU countries from the law's. obligations - a relocation that might even more rile foreign countries. that have actually slammed the EU policy as protectionist.

EPP is the greatest group in the EU Parliament, and any. proposals it makes to weaken green policies are most likely to win. assistance from hard-right and far-right legislators.

EU lawmakers had been expected to rapidly authorize a delay to. the law. But the push to make extra changes raises the possibility. of more complex negotiations that may not be resolved before the. end of this year - when, unless the delay is formally authorized. in the coming weeks, the law would right away take effect.

An EPP representative did not immediately respond to a demand. for comment.

The EU deforestation policy law had been hailed as a. landmark in the battle versus climate change. The destruction of. forests is a major reason for CO2 emissions, since it releases. much of the planet-heating carbon kept by trees.

(source: Reuters)