On 14 November 2024, the European Parliament voted to delay the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year. The new application dates are 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for medium, small, and micro enterprises. This delay is intended to provide additional time for companies to comply with the new regulations.

The Parliament also approved several amendments, including the introduction of a new category of countries posing “no risk” of deforestation. This new category will join the existing “low”, “standard”, and “high” risk categories. Countries classified as “no risk” will face less stringent requirements, primarily focusing on compliance with their own national legislation. The European Commission is tasked with finalising the country benchmarking system by 30 June 2025.

The Council and Parliament will now enter trilogue negotiations to finalise these amendments, aiming to reach an agreement before the end of the year. This additional 12-month period is intended to ensure proper and effective implementation of the regulation. The EU has updated guidance and a new EU FAQ document has been issued to assist stakeholders in understanding the changes.

The EUDR applies to specific commodities and their derived products, identified by their Harmonized System (HS) codes. These commodities include cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, rubber, and wood, along with products made from or containing these commodities, such as beef, leather, chocolate, furniture, and paper. The regulation aims to ensure that these products, when placed on the EU market or exported from it, do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation.

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