Negotiators in the European Parliament and the EU Council, assisted by the European Commission, are still struggling to reconcile their positions on the proposed EU regulation which aims to minimise the risk of global deforestation and forest degradation associated with certain commodities placed on the EU market or exported from the EU.
The second session of inter-institutional negotiations (trilogue), which took place on Thursday 10 November in the evening (see EUROPE 13030/9), discussed the main political issues of the November 2021 regulation for 3 hours - without concluding, in accordance with the principle that nothing is agreed until the whole text is agreed.
The definitions in the text were reviewed, including that of forest degradation, which the EU Council was keen to clarify in its June 2022 general approach (see EUROPE 12981/9); - assessment of countries by deforestation or forest degradation risk category; - the rules of the mandatory due diligence system; - geolocation as part of the traceability system; - controls and sanctions, access to justice; - the scope of the regulation, which the Parliament has extended, being more ambitious than the EU Council and the Commission (see EUROPE 13020/3).
A third trilogue is expected to take place in early December, at a date to be determined. The Czech Council Presidency is determined to make as much progress as possible before the end of December, a diplomatic source said, but no one can hazard a guess as to when an agreement will be reached. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)