EU backs one-year delay to EUDR delay and looks at revising regulation

Originally due to take effect on 30 December 2024 and delayed for a year, EUDR covers seven commodities linked to deforestation – palm oil, soyabean, timber, rubber, coffee, cocoa and cattle. Traders and operators who would like to use or sell these products in the EU must prove that they are deforestation-free, legally produced, and traceable to their source by submitting due diligence statements (DDGs) on an IT system supporting the law.

In a statement on 19 November, the EU Council – which represents the governments of EU member states – said its aim was to simplify the existing rules and to postpone their application to allow operators, traders and authorities time to prepare fully for its introduction.

It has proposed a one-year delay covering all operators until 30 December 2026, with an extra six-month “cushion” for micro and small operators to 30 June 2027.

The council said it had removed the ‘grace period’ initially proposed by the European Commission (EC) for large and medium companies, opting instead for a clear extension of the application date for all operators, regardless of their size.

It also said that it supported the European Commission (EC)’s targeted simplification of the due diligence process.

The EC – the EU’s executive branch – proposed a one-year delay of the EUDR only for small operators on 21 October, as well as a simplified due diligence system to reduce

the administrative burden on operators. It proposed:

• The obligation and responsibility for submitting required DDGs would fall exclusively on the operators who first place the product on the market.
• Downstream operators and traders would no longer have to submit DDGs, with only the first downstream operator needing to keep and pass on the reference number of the initial statement.
• Micro and small primary operators would submit only a one-off simplified declaration.

The EC has tasked the EC with carrying out, by 30 April 2026, a simplification review assessing the EUDR’s impact and administrative burden on operators, particularly small and micro-operators, adding that where appropriate, the review should be accompanied by a legislative proposal.

Before the delay is confirmed, the council said it would start negotiations with the European Parliament to reach a final agreement on its proposal before the EUDR was due to take effect on 30 December 2025.

In the EU, the EC has the exclusive right to propose EU laws. The European Parliament and Council jointly amend, negotiate and approve a regulation before it is adopted.

Tags: coffee, soyabean, cocoa, rubber, EU Deforestation Regulation, timber, EU, palm oil, cattle