EUDR is officially delayed

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has officially been delayed for another year. The deforestation regulation’s postponement comes after a year of political lobbying and quarreling.

The European Parliament has adopted targeted changes to the EUDR, which were already informally agreed with European Union (EU) member states on 4 December 2025.

The EUDR, adopted in 2023, seeks to fight climate change and biodiversity loss by ensuring products sold in the EU are not sourced from deforested land.

The EUDR, adopted in 2023, seeks to fight climate change and biodiversity loss by ensuring products sold in the EU are not sourced from deforested land.

The European Council officially delayed the EUDR today, with the new timeline set for 30 December 2026 for large companies and 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators. This delay is due to concerns about the readiness of IT systems and the administrative burden associated with the regulation. The revision aims to streamline the due diligence requirements and ensure that operators are adequately prepared for its application, while fully preserving the regulation’s objectives of preventing deforestation and forest degradation linked to products placed on the EU market.

To further reduce administrative burden, certain printed products (such as books, newspapers, printed pictures) were removed from the scope of the regulation, reflecting the limited deforestation risk associated with these items.

The revision introduces the obligation for the European Commission to conduct a simplification review of the regulation and present a report by 30 April 2026. The report should evaluate the impact and administrative burden of the EUDR, particularly for smaller operators, and should, where appropriate, be accompanied by a legislative proposal.

After the vote, Parliament’s rapporteur Christine Schneider (EPP, DE) said in a statement: “The heart of the EU deforestation regulation remains intact. We are protecting forests that face a real risk of deforestation, while avoiding unnecessary obligations in areas where no such risk exists. This agreement takes the concerns of farmers, foresters, and businesses seriously and ensures that the regulation can be implemented in a practical and workable way.”

However, major concerns have been expressed by environmental groups at the European Parliament’s decision to delay the EUDR implementation. Commenting on the newest delay, Stientje van Veldhoven, vice president and director for World Resources Institute (WRI) Europe, in a statement, said: “We are losing 18 football fields of forest every single minute, with cascading harm to nature, the climate and the economy. It is deeply sad to see the EU water down and postpone its deforestation law – at the very moment forests and businesses need strong, predictable rules to stop deforestation.”

The WRI updated its EUDR explainer on its website to reflect the latest developments: What is the EU Deforestation Regulation? 7 Key Questions, Answered.

Next Steps
Following its formal adoption by the Council, the revised regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force three days after publication.

Background
The regulation on deforestation-free products entered into force in June 2023 with the aim of ensuring that certain commodities, such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya and wood, and their derived products placed on or exported from the EU market have not caused deforestation or forest degradation.

Its main provisions were initially due to apply on 30 December 2024. Following concerns raised by member states, third countries, traders, and operators about readiness, an initial one-year postponement was adopted in December 2024. Asa result, the current EUDR becomes applicable as of 30 December 2025.

The new amendment, proposed by the Commission in October 2025, responds to continuing implementation challenges, in particular the need to ensure the effective functioning of the EU information system and alleviate administrative burdens for smaller operators. — Vanessa L Facenda