European Council - Photo © European Union 2026

During yesterday’s European Council, EU leaders met to discuss the new energy shock hitting Europe, with some of them looking towards deregulation measures and major changes to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as possible solutions.

Deforestation - Image by Robert Jones from Pixabay

In trilogue talks, EU institutions signed off on a package of irresponsible measures, including a one-year delay, a narrowing of the regulation’s scope, and a review scheduled for April 2026 that could open the door to further weakening. The political compromise to dilute the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) marks another step in Brussels’ reckless drift towards environmental deregulation.