Mapping Instrument Preferences for Deforestation Policies Based on <scp>EU</scp> Public Consultation Data

ABSTRACT Policy makers can choose among many alternative policy instruments to reduce the impact of EU commodity imports on forests and related biodiversity loss in the world. Changes in the instrument mix affect a wide range of stakeholder groups with varying strategic interests and corresponding policy preferences. Given the significant role of stakeholders in the development and implementation of EU environmental policies, a better understanding of these preferences is needed. We address this knowledge gap by exploring stakeholders' preferences for instruments during the development of the EU Regulation on Deforestation‐free Products (EUDR) with a mixed‐methods approach. We conduct a principal component analysis (PCA) to identify patterns in stakeholders' evaluations of 14 alternative policy instruments to counteract deforestation induced by EU consumption. The PCA reveals four distinct groups of instruments for which preferences of different stakeholder groups align. These groups separate instruments with predominantly mandatory elements from international policies, voluntary policies, and policies reflecting the current EUDR solution. Regression analyses and supplementary interviews with business associations offer further insights into overlaps as well as inconsistencies and conflicts across stakeholder groups in terms of their preferences for different groups of policy instruments to counteract deforestation.