EU delays anti-deforestation law to Dec 2025, easing trade concerns but sparking criticism over its green agenda setback.
European Union countries on Tuesday gave their final approval to delay the bloc's anti-deforestation law by 12 months, allowing the postponement to now pass into law, the Council of the EU said in a statement.
The sign-off from governments finalises a December 2025 start date for the EU's policy to ban the import of soy, beef, coffee, palm oil and other goods linked to the destruction of forests - which had originally been designed to apply this month.
The delay to the world-first deforestation policy is a blow to the EU's green agenda, which is facing pushback from industries and some governments that say EU measures to fight climate change are too onerous.
But it offers relief to companies and EU trading partners including the United States and Brazil, which oppose the policy and warn it will upend trade as many firms struggle to comply.
The EU law, initially due to take effect from Dec. 30, 2024, will require companies and traders also placing wood, cocoa, rubber and some derived products like chocolate and furniture onto the EU market to provide proof their supply chain does not contribute to deforestation, or face fines and potentially have their products turned away.
Companies exporting commodities from Europe would face the same obligations.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has claimed that the European Union is “drowning in corruption,” criticising Brussels for failing to hold itself or Ukraine accountable amid recent scandals.
The 32nd Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial meeting in Vienna exposed a sharp divergence between governance priorities in Brussels and Tbilisi.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has held high-level talks with the European Council President António Costa In Astana.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe's second-largest economy that highlights Beijing's focus on Paris in its ties with the European Union.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., has finalized the group stage for the tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, setting the schedule and matchups for next summer’s expanded 48-team event.
Faced with mounting public outrage following one of the deadliest environmental disasters in the nation’s recent history, the Indonesian government has pledged to investigate and potentially shut down mining operations found to have contributed to the catastrophic flooding on Sumatra.
Israel was cleared on Thursday to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, a decision made by the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which sparked a major controversy.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cooperate more closely on geopolitics, trade and the environment, as the European Union seeks China's help to end the war in Ukraine.
Israel’s participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be discussed on Thursday (4 December), as the organising body, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) meet in Geneva to consider whether the country can compete amid threats from some nations to withdraw over the ongoing Gaza war.
Indonesia's military stepped up its relief efforts in three provinces on Sumatra island that have been devastated by deadly floods and landslides, and the country's vice president apologised for shortcomings in the response to last week's disaster.
Authorities in Senegal have launched urgent measures to prevent a potential oil spill after water entered the engine room of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Mersin off the coast of Dakar, the port authority said on Sunday.
The death toll from devastating floods across Southeast Asia climbed to at least 183 people on Friday (28 November). Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka struggle to rescue stranded residents, restore power and communications, and deliver aid to cut-off communities.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Rescuers in Thailand readied drones on Thursday to airdrop food parcels, as receding floodwaters in the south and neighbouring Malaysia brightened hopes for the evacuation of those stranded for days, while cyclone havoc in Indonesia killed at least 28.
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