EU Postpones Implementation of the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Until the End of 2026
The European Parliament and EU Member States reached an agreement on the night of February 4, 2025, to postpone the application date of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year, to December 30, 2026. Small and micro-enterprises will be granted an additional year, until June 30, 2027, to comply with these requirements.
For small and micro-enterprises falling under the scope of the EU Timber Regulation, the application deadline will be December 30, 2026.
This marks the second time EU institutions have delayed the application date since the regulation entered into force in June 2023.
The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the postponement during the week beginning December 15.
The delay follows concerns raised by Member States, stakeholders, and third countries regarding companies’ ability to comply with the new rules, as well as delays by the European Commission in providing relevant guidance documents.
EU institutions have also called on the Commission to submit a report by April 30, 2026, on how to further simplify the legislation. Lawmakers have stipulated that this report may be accompanied by a legislative proposal.
During the trilogue negotiations, the parties also agreed to exclude certain printed products—such as books, newspapers, and printed artworks—from the scope of the regulation. Under the agreement, only the first operators placing products on the market will be required to submit due diligence statements. Only the first downstream operators will need to collect and retain the reference numbers of the original due diligence statements, without passing this information further down the supply chain. Micro and small operators will only be required to submit a simplified declaration once. Competent authorities in Member States will be required to report major IT system disruptions to the Commission to ensure the system’s proper functioning.
Source: Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU (also accredited to Luxembourg and the European Commission)
Video
