Brussels, 14 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The European Parliament on Thursday voted in favour for a delay on the implementation of an anti-deforestation regulation by a year after months of criticism.

EU legislators, the majority of them from the far-right and centre-right political groups, backed the delay with 371 votes in favour, 30 abstentions, and 240 against, according to a statement.

Business associations, different political parties and some trading partners of the European Union had called for more time to prepare for the application of the new law.

Now that the EU legislative chamber has voted in favour, and if EU member states agree with the extension, large companies are to comply from December 30, 2025 and small companies from June 30, 2026.

The new EU law aims to protect forests globally and reduce deforestation of the rainforest, for example in the Amazon region in South America.

Once implemented, products such as coffee, wood, soya, cocoa and palm oil may only be sold in the EU if no forests have been cleared for their production after 2020.

Companies are to submit due diligence declarations stating that no forest has been cleared or damaged for their product.

Non-compliant businesses might face high penalties of at least 4% of their annual turnover in the EU.

Another amendment adopted by the parliament introduces a "no-risk" category for certain countries which environmentalist groups view as allowing deforestation to continue through major loopholes.

A statement from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said the move undermines a landmark EU environmental laws to effectively enable further "forest destruction both within and outside of Europe."

Several German politicians had called for a postponement, including the country's agriculture minister, Cem Özdemir, from the environmentalist Green party.

Markus Ferber, a German EU legislator from the centre-right Christian Social Union (CSU) said with the delay "the way is now clear for improvements" to the deforestation law.

"Even with the postponement, the regulation remains a bureaucratic monster. Changes are therefore the right step," Ferber said in a statement after the vote.

Photo: EP