EU states oppose watering down embattled deforestation ban

An overwhelming majority of EU governments opposed further amending a sweeping anti-deforestation law on Wednesday, rejecting a last-ditch effort by parliament to ease the controversial rules, diplomatic sources said.

The bill, which bans imports of products driving deforestation, was thrown into uncertainty last week after EU lawmakers on the right hijacked a vote on a one-year implementation delay in order to change the text.

But almost all 27 member states, with the exception of Italy, agreed to turn down the additional amendments at a meeting of country representatives in Brussels, several diplomatic sources confirmed.

Most governments felt that "opening the text would only generate legal uncertainty," according to a diplomat.

A meeting between representatives of parliament, the European Commission and member states would be called to chart a way forward, the source said.

The law prohibits a vast range of goods -- from coffee to cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber -- if produced using land that was deforested after December 2020.

It has been hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and combat climate change by environmental groups.

But the ban has faced opposition from trading partners and some EU capitals, amid concerns over red tape, costs and lack of clarity over some aspects of the law.

In October the commission proposed delaying its entry into force by one year to December 30, 2025 -- a move supported by both parliament and member states.

The amendments introduced last week sought to lessen the administrative burden for countries deemed at no risk of deforestation among other things. But critics said they could have resulted in some nations being relieved of all obligations.