Michaela Kaniber criticizes EUDR exemptions for French Guiana

Bavarian Forestry Minister Michaela Kaniber has criticized a proposal by the European Commission to exempt French Guiana from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The proposal suggests that goods produced and consumed in French Guiana, as well as trade with Brazil and Suriname, would be exempt from the regulation, though deliveries to the EU single market would remain subject to it.

Kaniber argued that such an exemption creates an unfair contradiction, noting that while tropical rainforest areas might receive special treatment, European forest owners must continue to navigate significant bureaucracy. She called on EU member state representatives, who are set to deliberate on the proposal, to use this opportunity to implement fundamental relief for the European agricultural and forestry sectors. Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer expressed his support for Kaniber’s position.