European Union Excludes Latin American Countries from List that Blocked Cocoa, Coffee, and Palm Exports if Deforestation Norm Was Not Complied With

Latin American countries, including Peru, were excluded from the list in the "high-risk" category by the European Commission for exports to the European Union of products such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, or wood that could generate deforestation at the source. The Commission, however, did include Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Burma in this category. "The countries identified in the high-risk category in this first reference list are subject to sanctions from the UN Security Council or the Council of the European Union on the import or export of relevant raw materials and products," the European Commission stated in a statement on May 22, 2025. The classification is an essential part of the EU's Imported Deforestation Law, a pioneering environmental regulation key to the European Green Pact approved in the previous community legislature, and revised downward with the change of political cycle in Brussels, granting importers one more year to comply with the regulations. The ...