The European Council has reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on the proposed 12-month delay to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This provisional agreement still needs to be confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure.
The Council said this postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be fully prepared in terms of their due diligence obligations, to ensure that certain commodities and products sold in the EU or exported from the EU are deforestation-free. This includes products made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber and some of their derived products.
The deforestation regulation has been in force since 29 June 2023 and was previously set to be applied from 30 December 2024, but will now be postponed until 30 December 2025.
According to the provisional agreement, the targeted amendment will not affect the substance of the existing rules, which aims to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide, by only allowing deforestation-free products to be placed on the EU market or exported from the EU.
The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions and will be published in the Official Journal of the EU, so that it can enter into force before 30 December 2024.
