Brussels, July 7, 2025 (Lusa) - A group of 18 Member States, including Portugal, sent a letter to the European Commission on Monday asking for the simplification of rules against deforestation, suspended until 31 December, and a possible further postponement.

Third countries requested more time to comply with the rules, so authorities will suspend the regulation’s application until 31 December 2025. The letter, to which Lusa had access, emphasises the possibility of a further extension of the deadline.

In the letter, 18 agriculture ministers point out that Regulation 2023/1115 currently overlooks the forest protection standards each country has already adopted and the negligible deforestation risks that some present, imposing “disproportionate bureaucratic obligations” on them.

The letter emphasises that the EU government should incorporate rules to combat deforestation into its package of measures to reduce bureaucracy and simplify procedures.

The governments of the 18 countries also propose removing excessive and redundant requirements in countries where agricultural activity maintains forest cover at significant levels and in those considered low risk.

His counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Sweden also signed the letter, along with the Portuguese Minister, José Manuel Fernandes.

Lawmakers adopted the legislation in 2023, and they postponed its entry into force until December 2024.

According to data from Brussels, forests cover approximately 30% of the Earth’s surface, and they host around 80% of the global terrestrial biodiversity.

The EU has established rules to regulate the entry into the EU market and the export from the EU of products that contribute to global deforestation and forest degradation.

IG/ADB // ADB.

Lusa