Environmental organizations: German government must insist on consistent forest protection in Brussels
– Environmental organizations call for the EU deforestation regulation “EUDR” to be preserved
and apply it as planned at the turn of the year.
– The “zero-risk category” recently called for by eleven EU agriculture ministers would
undermine the core of the EUDR and render it ineffective. The ambitious goals
of the EU on climate and species protection would thus be a thing of the past.
– The German government must now defend the EUDR in Brussels
Berlin/Bonn, 12.06.2025: In the run-up to the meeting of EU environment ministers on 17 June 2025, an alliance of the environmental organizations DUH, Global Nature Fund, OroVerde, ROBINWOOD, SÜDWIND e.V. and WWF is calling on the EU member states to consistently implement the regulation on
deforestation-free products (EUDR) in its current form. The background to this are ongoing attacks against the EUDR, in particular from EU farmers “and forest owners” associations.
With the EUDR, the EU has presented the world’s first legislative initiative to effectively prevent the marketing of raw materials and products from deforestation, forest degradation or illegality – a milestone for international forest, climate and species protection. This step is urgently needed, as deforestation and forest degradation are the second largest source of CO₂ emissions after the burning of fossil fuels. In addition, the EU’s deforestation footprint is second only to China worldwide. The EU therefore has a special responsibility in the fight against global deforestation.
In the EUDR, the obligations of companies and authorities are derived from the risks in the country of origin. The regulation defines the risk categories “negligible”, “normal” and “high”. The additional “zero-risk category” now being called for by EUDR critics would practically release companies from the obligations of the EUDR. Large loopholes would be created and the EU would become a hub for illegal products, for example from Russia. The EUDR would be gutted. The environmental organizations have shown in a “Myths and Facts” document on the EUDR that the obligations can be fulfilled with manageable effort (Facts against Myths).
The “zero-risk” proposal is also based on false assumptions. In order to justify the “zero-risk category”, the initiators conceal important parts of the EU regulation and play down the damage that this change would cause. The main argument that there is no deforestation in the EU and that the EUDR therefore does not need to be applied
is false and dangerous. This is because Article 3 of the EUDR not only addresses deforestation, but also raw materials and products from forest degradation (see Article 2; 13.) and illegality. However, both forest degradation and illegality are also highly relevant in the EU. In addition, the desired zero-risk category would probably not be WTO-compliant and would offend trading partners.
Companies call for legal certainty, no softening
Numerous companies have prepared for the EUDR in good time. What they need are clear rules and legal certainty. A further watering down of the regulation would not only penalize pioneering companies and undermine European climate and forest protection, but would also massively damage the EU’s credibility as a reliable player in global
environmental policy.
Urgent need for action: no time for watering down or delay
The need for the EUDR is now more urgent than ever: according to
Global Forest Watch, 6.7 million hectares of species- and carbon-rich tropical forests were destroyed worldwide in 2024 alone – an area the size of Panama. The EUDR is a crucial instrument,
to counteract this development. We therefore call on the EU and its member states to consistently implement the EUDR in its current form.
Further information:
Tina Lutz, Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., Senior Expert Deforestation-Free Supply Chains, Tel: +49
30 2400867-890, lutz@duh.de
Lea Strub, Global Nature Fund (GNF), Project Manager Sustainable Supply Chains, Tel: +49
228 1848694 12, strub@globalnature.org
Nathalie Grychtol, OroVerde – Die Tropenwaldstiftung, Public Relations, Tel.: +49 2-28
242 90 – 48, ngrychtol@oroverde.de
ROBIN WOOD, wald@robinwood.de and presse@robinwood.de
Friedel Hütz-Adams, SÜDWIND e.V., Phone: +49 228-763698-15, huetz-adams@suedwind-institut.de
Immo Fischer, WWF Press Office, Phone: 030-311 777 427, immo.fischer@wwf.de