Africa wants more time and money to comply with EU deforestation regulation 

African cocoa - and coffee- producing countries are racing against the clock to avoid being excluded from the European market. A proposal to delay implementation would give them more time to prepare. Consumers in the European Union account for about 10% of global deforestation. The 27-member bloc’s first attempt at tackling the problem was the introduction of the EU Timber Legislation (EUTR) in 2013. The legislation prohibited the sale of illegally harvested wood on the EU market. A little over ten years later, the EU plans to implement a new legislation known as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that will replace the EUTR. Besides timber, the EUDR also targets other commodities responsible for deforestation worldwide such as cocoa, coffee, beef, palm oil, rubber and soy. The regulation is slated to come into force on December 30, 2024. Companies wishing to sell these commodities and related products in the EU will have to prove that these products are not linked to ...