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BRUSSELS, Belgium – The Council of the European Union today formally adopted a targeted revision of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR), aimed at simplifying its implementation and ensuring that operators, traders and authorities are adequately prepared for its application.
The revision streamlines the due diligence requirements and postpones the application of the regulation for all operators until 30 December 2026, with an extra six-month cushion for micro and small operators.
This responds to concerns raised by member states and stakeholders regarding administrative burden and the readiness of the IT system necessary for the effective functioning of the EUDR, while fully preserving the regulation’s objectives of preventing deforestation and forest degradation linked to products placed on the EU market.
To further reduce administrative burden, certain printed products (such as books, newspapers, printed pictures) were removed from the scope of the regulation, reflecting the limited deforestation risk associated with these items.
The revision introduces the obligation for the European Commission to conduct a simplification review of the regulation and present a report by 30 April 2026. The report should evaluate the impact and administrative burden of the EUDR, particularly for smaller operators, and should, where appropriate, be accompanied by a legislative proposal.
Next steps
Following its formal adoption by the Council, the revised regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force three days after publication.
Background
The regulation on deforestation-free products entered into force in June 2023 with the aim of ensuring that certain commodities, such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, and their derived products placed on or exported from the EU market have not caused deforestation or forest degradation.
Its main provisions were initially due to apply from 30 December 2024. Following concerns raised by member states, third countries, traders and operators about readiness, an initial one-year postponement was adopted in December 2024. Asa result, the current EUDR becomes applicable as of 30 December 2025.
The new amendment, proposed by the Commission in October 2025, responds to continuing implementation challenges, in particular the need to ensure the effective functioning of the EU information system and alleviate administrative burdens for smaller operators.
