The European Parliament voted on Thursday for a 12-month delay to the implementation of a law banning the import of commodities linked to deforestation, and adopted a series of amendments to weaken the law itself.

The European Parliament on Thursday voted in favour for a delay on the implementation of an anti-deforestation regulation by a year after months of criticism. EU legislators, the majority of them from the far-right and centre-right political groups,

The European Parliament demanded further changes to a landmark law to tackle global deforestation, adding complications to a plan to delay the controversial rules before they take effect later this year.