Page 42 - FDMAsia JulAug 2024

40 FOCUS JUL/AUG 2024 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

December 30, 2024, many unanswered questions remain, “at all levels” in the European Commission had shown him
such as in particular the clarification of the use of reference “everybody is aware that we have a problem that cannot be
numbers and the associated scope of timber lists, the scope solved without postponement”.
and implementation of controls, the legal consequences or As to the length of the delay, he added: “I would consider

the handling of wood from legally converted forests”. two years a reasonable time."
It goes on to suggest that “The test phase revealed glaring The German MEP said that while he agreed with the
deficiencies and showed that it is not possible to implement aims of the EUDR, the law as agreed in December 2022 by
the regulation in accordance with the current requirements. As the European Parliament and European Council had been
a result, the wood-processing industries are currently facing “turned into a bureaucratic monster”.
an insurmountable task. There is a threat of considerable Euronews emphasises that Liese’s call to delay the EUDR
burdens for the relevant companies and distortions along is not yet the official position of the EPP and that the large
the entire wood value chain”. majority of EPP MEPs voted in favour of EUDR only last year.
The Bundesrat motion calls on the German Federal Euronews note that the EC declined to comment on Liese’s

Government to obtain an implementation regulation from statement, or on whether there were any ongoing discussions
the EU in the short term that is legally compliant with the within the EC about reopening the file.
WTO regulations that extends the deadlines for EUDR
implementation, relieves raw material producers in Member Will EUDR traceability requirement be watered down for
States and regions where there is no demonstrable risk of internal EU trade?
deforestation from avoidable, additional bureaucracy, and Judging from a report in the latest weekly newsletter of GD
enables other market participants to apply it in a practical Holz, the German timber trade association, the EC is indicating

and legally compliant manner. that requirements for due diligence statements for internal EU
Most recently, on 27 June, the head of environment policy trade will be watered down while it is maintaining a hard line
for the centre-right European People's Party, which emerged with respect to imports from outside the bloc.
victorious in recent EU Parliamentary elections, called explicitly GD Holz note that in response to their questions to EC
for a two-year delay to EUDR implementation. officials at the 28th meeting of the “Multi-Stakeholder Platform
Peter Liese, a German MEP since 1994 and freshly on Protecting and Restoring the World's Forests” held earlier
re-elected, told Euronews that recent contact with officials in June, the EC “clarified that downstream non-SME market
participants (large companies within the EU) do not have to
provide geo-coordinates when submitting their due diligence
PickPik declarations”.

Based on the EC answers, GD Holz suggest that “This
means that geo-coordinates are only mandatory for the
beginning of the supply chain in the EU (=import or forest
ownership). It may be necessary to pass on geocoordinates
in individual cases, e.g. for high-risk goods, but it is not
always necessary to pass them on”.

GD Holz go on to suggest that “we see this approach
as a success for our lobbying work - the EU had previously