Obligations under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) had been due to commence from 30 December 2024.    

The European Commission has now proposed a 12 month delay in order to allow a 12 month phasing-in period to ensure effective implementation.   Subject to approval of the proposed delay by the European Parliament and Council, the EUDR obligations would come into force from 30 December 2025 (and from 30 June 2026 for SMEs). 

The EUDR applies to “relevant commodities” (cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood) and specified derived products.  It prohibits such products being imported into, made available in or for exported from the EU unless they are “deforestation-free” and produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production.  For more see our Insights on the EUDR.  

The Commission published new guidance on the EUDR together with updated FAQ on implementation of the EUDR.  

The Commission also intends to publish the principles of the methodology it will apply to the EUDR benchmarking exercise, serving to classify countries as “low”, “standard”, or “high” risk with regard to deforestation and forestation.  It confirmed that, following the methodology applied, a large majority of countries worldwide will be classified as “low risk”.  The Commission proposes to adopt the final country benchmarking system by 30 June 2025.