European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

EUDR MAY FACE ANOTHER YEAR OF DELAY

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), due to apply from 30 December 2025, may face another one-year postponement. A letter from Commissioner Jessika Roswall to the European Parliament cites serious concerns over the IT system needed to implement the law, warning of risks of disruptions that could prevent operators from complying. “In view of this, the Commission is considering a postponement of the entry into application of the EUDR, currently foreseen for 30 December 2025, for one year,” the letter notes. Speaking at the Council this week the Commissioner said she would engage in discussions with the Parliament and Council before formally announcing a delay and left the door open to “simplifying” the regulation beyond the delay.

The EPP member leading negotiations on the file, Germany’s Christine Schneider (CDU), welcomed the move. “For a long time, I have been advocating for a practical implementation of the Deforestation Regulation,” she said in a press release. “However, the renewed postponement clearly shows: the problems run deeper and cannot be solved by further transitional periods or non-binding guidelines,” she added.

Schneider said she would again propose the creation of a new category dubbed as ‘zero-risk’ that could exempt some countries – including EU member states – from the obligations. The last time she put forward such measures, they were opposed by the Commission and Council.

The news comes after the Commission concluded trade negotiations with Indonesia, the world’s largest exporter of palm oil – a key crop in driving deforestation in the past decades. During a technical briefing with reporters on Tuesday, the Commission stressed that Jakarta would still need to comply with EUDR obligations under the new trade deal

Source: Euractiv