Clarity and predictability to ensure a smooth entry into application of the EU Deforestation Regulation

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached tonight between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission proposal for targeted amendments of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) as it ensures clarity and predictability on the entry into application and the requirements for economic operators.

The agreed amendments will reduce the data load on the IT system so that it is capable of handling the expected due diligence statements and simplified declarations submitted by all operators. This will provide for a well-functioning IT system, which is necessary for a smooth implementation of the EUDR.

We now must ensure that the EUDR delivers on the ground. Accounting for 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, global deforestation and forest degradation is one of the most urgent challenges of our time.

Key measures

The provisional political agreement includes the following key elements:

• An additional year for economic operators’ preparations before the EUDR entry into application:
  • The entry into application has been set to 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators;
  • For micro and small operators, the entry into application is on 30 June 2027;
  • For micro and small operators already covered by the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) the entry into application will be 30 December 2026.
• Streamlined obligations for downstream operators and traders: These operators and traders will no longer need to submit due diligence statements, nor to pass on the reference numbers further in the supply chain. Only the first actor downstream will collect a due diligence reference number.
• A simplified one-off declaration for micro and small primary operators from low-risk countries. It replaces the previous need for due diligence statement submissions in the IT system. Where the required information is already available in databases set up under EU or Member States legislation, and Member States make available the relevant data in the EUDR IT system, micro and small primary operators are exempted from submitting the simplified declaration.
• The removal of books, newspapers and printed material from EUDR product scope.

Next steps

The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the targeted amendments of the EU Deforestation Regulation before it can come into effect.

Background

The EU Deforestation Regulation aims to ensure that a set of key goods placed on the EU market will no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and elsewhere in the world. Deforestation and forest degradation are important drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss — the two key environmental challenges of our time. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the European Union — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. 

Since the entry into force of the EUDR in June 2023, the Commission has consistently worked with stakeholders on how to facilitate a simple, fair and cost-efficient implementation of the EUDR. Over the past years, the Commission has focused on setting up the necessary framework for the EUDR to enter into application, notably through additional Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) documents published in April 2025, as well as in the Benchmarking Implementing Regulation published in May 2025.

The Commission has also undertaken a simplification effort from different angles, which, according to estimations, would lead to 30% reduction of administrative costs and burden for companies.

In December 2024  the European Union granted a 12-month additional phasing-in period, making the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large and medium companies and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.