At the beginning of December 2025, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament agreed on a targeted amendment to the existing EU regulation on deforestation-free products. The agreement focuses on making things easier for companies and authorities and significantly postponing the date of application. The aim is to make the operational requirements more realistic and give those involved more time to prepare.
Simplified implementation and later start date
Due to numerous responses from Member States, companies and associations regarding a lack of willingness to implement the new EU information system and unresolved technical issues surrounding it, the application of the regulations has been postponed until 30 December 2026. Micro and small enterprises will also benefit from an additional six-month buffer period.
Key changes to the due diligence procedure
The agreement provides for precise adjustments designed to reduce administrative burdens without compromising the objective of the regulation:
- Due diligence declaration only by the first distributor: In future, responsibility for submitting the required declaration will lie exclusively with the market participants who first place the product on the market.
- Simplification in the supply chain: Only the first downstream economic operator must obtain and retain the reference number of the original due diligence declaration; there is no need to pass it on throughout the supply chain.
- Simplified declaration for micro and small primary producers: Affected small businesses only need to submit a simplified declaration once and will receive an identification number that is sufficient for traceability purposes.
Exchange with expert circles
Both legislative bodies emphasise the importance of regular exchanges with experts, stakeholders and relevant economic actors. This dialogue is to take place, among other things, via the Commission’s existing multi-stakeholder platform for the protection and restoration of forests. In addition, national authorities will be required to report major disruptions to the EU IT system.
Products covered by the Deforestation Regulation
The Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) came into force in June 2023 and aims to ensure that certain raw materials and products made from them can only be traded in the EU if they do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. These include:
- cattle
- cocoa
- coffee
- oil palm
- rubber
- soya
- wood
- other derived goods
Due to their low risk profile, certain printed products (e.g. books, newspapers or printed images) have been excluded from the scope of the EUDR.
Evaluation by the European Commission
By 30 April 2026, the EU Commission is to carry out a simplification review and subsequently submit a report. Among other things, this report is to include the impact of the Deforestation Regulation, particularly on smaller companies, as well as suggestions for improvement.
Next steps
The political agreement on the postponement and adjustment of the application of the EUDR still needs to be confirmed and formally adopted by the Council and the European Parliament. It will then enter into force and replace the current version of the Deforestation Regulation.
Source: Official website of the Council of the EU and the European Council
