EU delays deforestation ban but discards changes

(This Dec. 3 story has been officially corrected to remove reference to 'emergency break', after European Parliament amended its press release, in paragraph 7)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Negotiators for EU institutions agreed a compromise on Tuesday on a ban on the import of commodities linked to deforestation, which will be delayed by a year but without changes proposed by EU lawmakers.

The European Commission in October proposed a 12-month delay until Dec. 30, 2025 after complaints from 20 EU countries, some companies and countries such as Brazil and Indonesia. EU governments backed the move.

However, EU lawmakers voted last month not only to delay the EU Deforestation Regulation, but also to water it down by proposing a new 'no risk' category of countries with vastly reduced checks. These would principally have been EU members.

Negotiators for EU governments and lawmakers met late on Tuesday and agreed on the 12-month delay, but with no changes to the existing rules.

Large operators and traders will have to respect the obligations from Dec. 30, 2025, and small enterprises six months later, a delay designed to allow companies around the world to adapt.

The Commission committed to assess whether requirements could be simplified for countries that have sustainable forest management practices.

The Commission will also commit to have the online system for companies operational by December 2025 and to propose the country risk classification at least six months before.

The European People's Party, the largest parliamentary group, which pushed for further changes, welcomed these add-ons.

The Greens group described the compromise of a delay with no amendments as a "partial but significant victory".

The deforestation regulation aims to root deforestation out of supply chains for beef, soy, wood, cocoa, palm oil, coffee and rubber sold in Europe, so that EU consumers are not contributing to the destruction of forests from the Amazon to Southeast Asia.

It was hailed as a landmark in the fight against climate change, but emerging market countries from Brazil to Indonesia say it is protectionist and could exclude millions of poor, small-scale farmers from the EU market.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Jonathan Oatis)