SUMMARY

The European Parliament has adopted a Resolution rejecting the country risk classification system introduced by the Commission under the EU Deforestation Regulation.

MORE DETAILS

The current country classification system (adopted in May 2025) currently labels only four countries as “high risk” (Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Myanmar). The remaining countries are classified as either standard or low risk. The resolution was introduced by the European People’s Party (EPP) to push the Commission to repeal and revise the Regulation and passed with 373 votes in favour and 289 against. The EPP is specifically calling on the Commission to introduce a further risk category (insignificant or negligible risk).

While resolutions are non-binding, they increase political pressure on the Commission to take action. Earlier last week, 18 agricultural ministers also called for a revision and further delay of the EUDR.

As a reminder, the Commission has already adopted several simplification measures in April 2025. In May, the Commission also published a Delegated Act to clarify the scope of the Regulation. FESI took part in the Delegated Act’s public consultations to ask for more clarity on the Regulation’s implementation (details in the PDF attached).

NEXT STEPS

The European Commission will likely need to respond to the political pressure from both Parliament and Member States. Whether it acts in the short term remains to be seen, especially with a formal review already planned for 2026. FESI will continue to follow upcoming developments and inform members about next steps.