EU Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement on targeted revision of EUDR
Representatives of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on a targeted amendment of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). The objective of the revision is to streamline the implementation of the existing framework and postpone its application, allowing operators, traders and authorities more time to prepare.
The agreement followed concerns raised by member states and industry stakeholders regarding the readiness of companies and national administrations, as well as technical challenges linked to the EU’s new information system. In response, the co-legislators endorsed the European Commission’s proposal to simplify the due diligence requirements. They also decided to eliminate the initially proposed “grace period” for large and medium-sized companies, opting instead for a clear postponement of the regulation’s application date for all operators to 30 December 2026, with an additional six months granted to micro and small operators.
Key Elements of the Agreement
The negotiating mandates of both institutions were largely aligned, placing emphasis on postponing enforcement and introducing additional simplification measures. The goal is to reduce administrative pressure while maintaining the regulation’s environmental objectives.
According to the agreement, the obligation to submit the required due diligence statement will rest solely with the operator placing the product on the EU market for the first time. Only the first downstream operator in the supply chain will be required to collect and retain the reference number of this initial due diligence statement, removing the requirement to pass it onward through multiple transaction levels.
Clarification was also provided regarding the simplified declaration for micro and small primary operators. These operators will only need to submit a single simplified declaration, after which they will receive a declaration identifier adequate for traceability purposes.
Both institutions underlined the need for continued dialogue involving experts, stakeholders and all relevant operators through the established Commission expert group and the multi-stakeholder platform on protecting and restoring the world’s forests. The agreement also requires competent authorities to report any major disruptions affecting the IT system to the Commission, ensuring operational continuity while keeping administrative burdens manageable.
To further ease administrative requirements, the co-legislators agreed to remove certain printed products — including books, newspapers and printed pictures — from the scope of the regulation, reflecting their negligible link to deforestation risk.
The Commission has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive simplification review and presenting a report by 30 April 2026. This assessment will examine the EUDR’s impact and administrative demands, particularly on smaller operators, and will propose solutions such as updated guidelines or improvements to the information system. A legislative proposal may accompany the report if deemed necessary.
Next Steps
The provisional agreement must now be formally endorsed and adopted by both the Council and the European Parliament before it can enter into force, replacing the current EUDR framework.
Background
The regulation on deforestation-free products entered into force in June 2023 with the aim of ensuring that key commodities – including cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood – and their derived products placed on or exported from the EU market are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation.
The regulation’s main provisions were initially scheduled to apply from 30 December 2024. However, concerns from member states, third countries, traders and operators led to a one-year postponement adopted in December 2024, pushing the application date to 30 December 2025. The new amendment, proposed by the Commission in October 2025, addresses persisting implementation challenges, particularly the need to ensure the functionality of the EU information system and to reduce administrative complexity for smaller operators.
