EU Council agrees to extend timeline for EUDR implementation
The delay proposed by the EC, which followed warnings of trade chaos from stakeholders and governments, aims to provide third countries, member states, operators, and traders with additional time to prepare for the regulation's due diligence obligations.
According to the EU Council, the extension will offer stakeholders legal certainty and predictability.
The EUDR, which has been in force since June 29, 2023, mandates that specific commodities and products sold or exported from the EU must be deforestation-free. This includes items made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and certain derived products.
The law is intended to minimize the EU’s contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation by ensuring that only products produced on land free from deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020, are allowed in the EU market or for export.
With the new timeline, the regulation’s obligations would be set to take effect on December 30, 2025, for large operators and traders, while micro- and small enterprises would have until June 30, 2026, to comply.
Despite the change in timeline, the core objectives of the deforestation regulation remain unchanged, stresses the EU Council.
The Council will communicate its position to the European Parliament, which is expected to vote on the EUDR extension proposal in a plenary session on November 13-14.
The goal is to have the regulation formally adopted by both the Council and Parliament and published in the Official Journal of the EU by the end of the year.
Tracking MEP sentiment
During the ENVI committee meeting on October 14, MEPs from the European People's Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe voiced their strong support for the proposal to delay the implementation date of the EUDR. Together, these three parties hold 401 of the 720 seats in the EU Parliament.
Peter Liese, the EPP's environmental spokesperson, had long been calling for a delay to the EUDR. He claims to support the regulation’s aims, but has described it as a "bureaucratic monster" that is unmanageable for small farmers.
Anna Cavazzini, Greens/EFA MEP, expressed frustration over how the transition period has played out: “The events surrounding the law on deforestation-free supply chains are a tragedy. First, Ursula von der Leyen has been holding back the implementing provisions, namely key guidance documents, that are important for companies for months. This was irresponsible, as it fed into the narrative that the regulation needed to be delayed. And now, because the time until the implementation date is becoming ever shorter and the pressure ever greater, she is proposing a postponement of the important law.
“We must now ensure that the postponement does not open Pandora's box and that the law is not weakened. The EPP, who initially voted in favour of the law by a majority and have now called for its postponement, have a particular responsibility here.”
