Under pressure from trading partners from Brazil to the United States and even the bloc's powerhouse Germany, the European Commission proposed in early October to delay the rules that were set to enter into force at the end of this year.
The law includes a ban on goods including coffee, cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber if they are produced using land that was deforested after December 2020.
The European Union's 27 member states supported the commission's delay, which will also require approval by the bloc's parliament.
"This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be fully prepared in their due diligence obligations," the council representing EU states said in a statement.
Brazil, the United States and other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America had said the rules would push up production and export costs, especially for smallholders, and complained of a lack of guidance for implementation.
In its decision, EU countries agreed there was a "lack of the key elements" of the law "such as guidance documents to help companies and countries better apply the rules".
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