The European Parliament and Council of Ministers have reached an agreement to simplify EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and delay its introduction for a year.
The EUDR, originally due to come into force at the end of 2024 but already delayed for a year, will require EU importers of soya, plus various other commodities, to demonstrate they have not been produced on deforested land.
On November 26, the EU parliament agreed by 402 to 250 votes to delay its introduction again, alongside various simplification measures.
This needed the agreement of EU ministers to come into force and on Thursday evening, Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional political agreement on a one-year postponement of EUDR for all businesses, plus targeted solutions to make it easier for companies, global stakeholders and member states to implement.
Large operators and traders will now have to apply the regulation from December 30, 2026, and small operators – private individuals and micro- or small enterprises – from June 30, 2027. The parliament said this additional time is intended to guarantee a smooth transition and to allow time to improve the IT system that operators, traders and their representatives use to make electronic due diligence statements.
Simplification of due diligence requirements
The co-legislators agreed that responsibility for submitting a due diligence statement should fall to the businesses that are first to place a relevant product on the EU market, and not the operators and traders that subsequently commercialise it.
The agreement reduces the obligations on micro and small primary operators, which will now only have to submit a one-off simplified declaration, making it easier for businesses to comply with the law without compromising on its objectives.
It was also agreed that by April 30, 2026, the Commission must present a report to assess the law’s impact and administrative burden, in particular for micro and small operators.
Parliament’s rapporteur Christine Schneider (EPP, DE) said: “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.”
Parliament will now vote on the deal during its plenary session between December 15 and 18. The text agreed must be endorsed by both Parliament and Council and be published in the EU’s Official Journal before the end of 2025 for the changes to enter into force.