Brussels – At the point count, the People’s Party won on the EU law on deforestation. Which did indeed withdrew six of the 15 amendments proposed to water down the regulation but saw all the others approved—except only one, the least relevant—with the support of far-right groups. A show of strength against the rest of the “pro-European majority,” but one that risks backfiring on the Populars. Because, already at loggerheads with the Socialists over the go-ahead for the College of EU Commissioners, today’s vote risks blowing everything up.
The EU executive’s proposal to postpone the implementation of the regulation on imported deforestation for one year was approved by the Brussels hemicycle with 371 votes in favour, 240 against, and 30 abstentions. On the final vote, socialists, greens and leftists opposed it, with the same compactness with which the popular and far-right supported the text, while the liberals split.
The EPP, which had tabled 15 controversial amendments to the Commission’s new text, announced before the vote that it was withdrawing some of the most significant ones: the proposal for a two-year delay and several exemptions for traders on supply chain control charges. According to a statement on the sidelines of the vote by Christine Schneider, a People’s Party MEP who signed all of the amendments, the EPP withdrew the amendments because it got reassurances from the European Commission in return, particularly the commitment to review the guidelines for companies and make sure to avoid an overlap of bureaucratic burdens between companies.
The other change demanded by the populars concerning the introduction of a fourth category of countries—alongside the low-, medium- and high-risk countries—of “risk-free” states from which they could continue to import products without new obligations remained. The amendments that enshrined it were all approved with the same majority, by a handful of votes, thanks to the united position of the EPP, Conservatives (ECR), Patriots (PfE) and Sovereignists (ESN). The one that introduced the new country category passed with 306 votes in favour and 303 against. With a dozen or so turncoats in the EPP and most liberals against it.
Specifically, the “no risk” category would include countries “or parts thereof” where “forest area development has remained stable or increased since 1990” and where the Paris Climate Agreement “and international conventions on human rights and the prevention of deforestation” have been signed. In order for the changes pushed by the “Venezuela majority” (after the September vote of condemnation of Maduro’s regime that enshrined the existence of an alternative majority on the right) to take effect, the text will now have to be negotiated again with the EU Council to reach an agreement on the final version of the legislation, with the European Commission free to withdraw its proposal to amend the regulation at any time, given the substantial changes made by the European Parliament.
There is optimism from the EPP that the Commission will not withdraw the proposal. While the EU executive is not blurting out, “All we can say is that we will now analyse the vote before taking position,” said a spokesman. But Greens and Socialists have already launched their appeals to von der Leyen to withdraw the postponement proposal. The environmental group pointed to the breakdown of the electronic voting system “which has cast doubt on the vote” and called on the EU leader to take a step back “to avoid a complete gutting of the law and further uncertainty for stakeholders”. For the S&D family, we are facing “yet another case in which the EPP torpedoes the Green Deal”, and according to the Democratic Party delegation in Brussels, the Populars “have decided to tear up the agreements with the pro-European majority that supported von der Leyen and ally themselves with the extreme right”.
Thus, while the EPP rapporteur Christine Schneider denies that she “played with the extreme right” and instead sought dialogue with all pro-European forces in the first instance, the Lega delegation rejoices at the “new defeat of the Ursula majority” with the “decisive” votes of the Patriots group, which show “not only that another majority is possible but is already a reality“. The president of the European Commission has her back to the wall. Holding together the fragile majority that supported her in July is increasingly difficult. And we are only at the first steps of the legislature.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
