EU plans to delay deforestation law for small operators but excludes big players

Last month, European Union (EU) Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall had proposed a one-year delay of the EUDR, which was set to come into force in December 2025, due to IT issues holding back its implementation, the 21 October said.

The college of commissioners reached a decision on 21 October following intense negotiations between the cabinets of Vice-President Teresa Ribera, who was reportedly reluctant to reopen the file, and Roswall’s.

Despite the decision, the EUDR would still enter into force on 31 December 2025 as originally planned, with the postponement applied only to small and micro-operators trading in products including cocoa, coffee, timber, palm oil, livestock and rubber, Euroactiv wrote.

For small operators, the regulation’s entry into force would now be postponed until December 2026, the report said.

Small producers will also benefit from a simplified due diligence declaration – the document certifying that no forests were cleared to produce commodities entering the EU market, according to the report.

Before coming into the force, the proposal will need to be approved by co-legislators, EU countries at the Council and MEPs, who could still push for more changes to the legislation, according to the report.

Tags: palm oil, deforestation, coffee, cocoa, EUDR, rubber, livestock sector, timber, The European Commission