The Council of the European Union confirmed that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) would now come into effect from December 2025 after member states backed a one-year delay. The decision to postpone the regulation, which was proposed by the European Commission in October, followed increasing pressure from affected companies and countries, claiming its requirements were unworkable within the original timeframe. The EUDR requires imports of many key commodities – palm oil, cattle, cocoa, coffee, soy, rubber, wood – and certain derived products to provide documentary evidence that their supply chain does not contribute to deforestation. A statement from the council said the postponement would allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be “fully prepared in terms of their due diligence obligations”, in order to ensure impacted commodities and products imported to or exported from the EU are deforestation-free. The “targeted amendment”, agreed by the council and the European Parliament on 3 December, means the rules of the EUDR will apply on 30 December 2025. The regulation will now be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU, so that it can enter into force before the end of the year. The ‘trilogue’ deal reached by EU institutions earlier this month left the key elements of the EUDR largely unchanged, following efforts by the European People’s Party to water it down. The compromise also commits the commission to finalise the country risk benchmarking six months before the application of the EUDR, and provides an opportunity to simplify and reduce administrative burdens in a review scheduled for 2028. The World Wide Fund for Nature called for the commission to use the additional time “to ensure clear, robust implementation” and urged EU member states to prepare for effective checks and controls.
