On Thursday, the European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a ‘targeted revision’ of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The agreement also includes a one-year delay of the landmark regulation.
Under the delay, the regulation will come into force on December 30 2026, rather than 2025. For smaller operators and traders, this will be June 30 2027.
Alongside the delay, the European Commission will be tasked with a ‘simplification review’, meaning that the regulation will be opened for revision. This review, which must be completed by April 30 next year, introduces the opportunity for further simplifications to the regulation.
Meanwhile, the agreement retained simplifications earlier introduced by the Commission, which aimed to reduce administrative burden and strain on the EUDR’s IT system.
Only the operator who places an EUDR-relevant commodity on the market will be required to complete a due diligence statement.
Following this, only the first downstream operator – the operator after the one that places the commodity on the market – is required to collect and keep the reference number, and not pass it on down the supply chain.
Small and micro operators will only be required to submit a simplified declaration, which will replace the need for a full due diligence statement.
Furthermore, some printed products, such as books, newspapers and printed pictures, have been removed from the regulation’s scope.
On December 16, the European Parliament will vote on whether to accept the delay and revisions. This, according to the NGO Fern, is expected to be be a mere formality.