The announcement by the European Commission that it is proposing targeted measures to ensure the timely implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) protects the ‘core principles’ of the regulation, the World Resources Institute has said.
The European Commission said on Tuesday that it had dropped plans to delay the implementation of the EUDR for a year, proposing a simplified approach for micro and small enterprises, as well as downstream operators.
Small businesses will now have reduced obligations under the EUDR, and will be granted until December 2026 to comply. For other companies, the EUDR will come into force on 30 December this year as planned, albeit with a six-month grace period in light of recent IT issues.
‘Far better than delaying enforcement’
“With this proposal, the Commission is creating a workaround to allow compliance with the EUDR to begin at the end of December 2025,” Stientje van Veldhoven, vice president and regional director for Europe at the World Resources Institute, commented. “While no tampering would have been preferable, this approach is far better than delaying enforcement another year or gutting the regulation, as some have called for.
“The Commission appears focused on reducing burdens where the impact is small, while maintaining rigour where the stakes are high. An exemption only for micro enterprises – not including small enterprises – would have had less impact. Yet this package could strike a robust compromise: businesses that have already invested won’t see their efforts wasted, and those betting on future delays will not be rewarded.”
The EUDR seeks to prevent the import of commodities associated with deforestation – including coffee, cocoa, soy, beef, leather, palm oil, rubber, and wood – into the EU market. Under the new proposal, certain actors, such as small-scale farmers and foresters who sell locally, are exempt from submitting due diligence statements. Downstream companies are also excluded from this requirement.
The European Parliament and Council of the EU still need to approve the Commission’s proposal.
“It’s important the European Parliament and Council give businesses clear guidance – and avoid adding uncertainty with further changes to the law,” van Veldhoven added.
“Forests are vital for climate stability, yet last year we lost 6.7 million hectares – 18 football fields every minute. With just 7% of the global population, the EU drives up to 16% of deforestation through imports. The EU bears a disproportionate responsibility to lead.”
‘Major blind spot’
Elsewhere, Isabel Fernandez, senior consultant at Mighty Earth said that she was “glad to hear” that the EUDR will go ahead as planned at the end of this year, IT issues notwithstanding.
“However, exempting due diligence for downstream operators and traders creates a major blind spot in the EUDR framework,” she says. “This makes it very difficult and resource-intensive for Member State agencies to track down non-compliant products already circulating on the EU market – especially when they are traded across Member State borders.
“Now it’s up to the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission to ensure that the proposed six-month delay in penalties for all operators is clearly communicated and implemented transparently. This six-month window is not an excuse for inaction, but a crucial period for competent authorities to carry out checks, address infringements and ensure full compliance.”
‘A shameful surrender’
WWF, meanwhile, dubbed the Commission’s move to simplify the regulation as a ‘shameful surrender to political pressure’, suggesting that IT issues may not have been to blame for its indecision.
“Let’s be clear: proposing a partial delay and further changes is a deliberate choice, not an absolute necessity,” said Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, senior forest policy officer at WWF European Policy Office. “It does not seem that the European Commission ever explored other options to fix any IT issues; it feels like the perfect scapegoat to water down the regulation.” Read more here, here and here.
