EU member states and the European Parliament have decided to delay the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year. Despite concerns that regulation would also be watered down, EU lawmakers have decided to keep the legal text intact. Under the rules, companies will be required to exercise due diligence of their supply chains if these involve products that could be tied to deforestation – such as palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee and cocoa. The law is now expected to come into effect for large companies from 30 December 2025 and 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises. “It is a relief that the fundamental elements of the most progressive EU law to fight deforestation remain unchanged,” said Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, Manager of Forests at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) European Policy Office. “However, delaying its application by a year is already a step backward, allowing deforestation to continue unabated.” The deal is nonetheless significant in that it represents a defeat of the European People’s Party’s (EPP) efforts to weaken EUDR – its first attempt at weakening the European Green Deal, she added. The trilogue deal also included a statement committing the European Commission to finalise the country risk benchmarking before the end of next year – six months before the application of the EUDR. This provides an opportunity to simplify and reduce administrative burdens, the WWF said. The deal now needs to be formally approved by EU member states, as well as the European Parliament in its December plenary session.
