The European Union is moving ahead with rules for deforestation and forest preservation with a new proposal from the Commission. At the same time, the Parliament continues to monitor the sector with a dedicated committee.
The Commission’s proposal should help operators and companies comply with the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), specifically in implementing IT for better monitoring. The new rule received input from stakeholders in the field. It stems from the Commission’s idea to simplify the adoption and implementation of the EU’s measures.
The Commissioner for Environment Jessika Roswall said that the measure “simplifies the rules notably for small farmers and operators, while maintaining Europe’s global leadership in the fight against deforestation.” According to her, “it is not about lowering the ambition, it’s about making the rules work in a better and smarter way because effective implementation matters.”
Downstream operators and traders in forest-adjacent products will now be spared the paperwork for due diligence. The new requirements will have them submit only upon entry to the new EUDR IT system for the whole supply chain. The Commission used cocoa beans as an example: only the importer will have to submit the due diligence, while chocolate producers will be spared from filling in a new report. In addition, small enterprises will have a longer transition period for the new IT monitoring system.
Big companies still have their deadline for compliance on 30 December 2025, while small enterprises will have until the end of 2026. Big companies subject to the 2025 deadline will benefit from a grace period of six months. Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera explained that “we offer a clear implementation schedule that ensures the regulation will take effect seamlessly starting at the end of this year, allowing large operators to progressively adapt while giving micro and small producers more time to adjust.”
The broader implementation of the EUDR will be monitored in tandem with the European Parliament. The Parliament approved the extension of the tasks overseen by the Standing Forest Committee. Its role will be to assist and proactively engage with the Commission for relevant proposals on the issue.
There may be some difference between the two EU governing bodies, as shown by a separate vote on the monitoring framework for resilient European forests. MEPs overwhelmingly voted to reject the framework, with 264 voting against the proposal out of a 370 majority.
