Council moves to delay and simplify the Deforestation Regulation

Today the Council its negotiating mandate on a targeted revision of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). The aim is to simplify the implementation of the existing rules and to postpone their application to allow operators, traders and authorities to prepare adequately.

Following concerns from member states and stakeholders about the readiness of companies and administrations, as well as about technical issues related to the new information system, the Council:

• supports the Commission’s targeted simplification of the due diligence process;
• also pushes to introduce a uniform one-year postponement of the application of the regulation for all operators, until 30 December 2026, with an extra six-month cushion for micro and small operators;
• removed the ‘grace period’ initially proposed by the Commission for large and medium companies, opting instead for a clear extension of the application date for all operators, regardless of their size;
• maintains and adds on the simplification measures originally proposed by the Commission, focusing on reducing administrative burdens while preserving the objectives of the regulation.

Under the Council’s position:

• the provisions of the EUDR would apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large operators and 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators
• the obligation and responsibility for submitting the required due diligence statement would fall exclusively on the operators who first place the product on the market
• downstream operators and traders would no longer have to submit separate due diligence statements, but only the first downstream operators must keep and pass on the reference number of the initial statement
• micro and small primary operators would submit only a one-off simplified declaration

The Council also tasked the European Commission with carrying out, by 30 April 2026, a simplification review assessing the EUDR’s impact and administrative burden on operators, particularly small and micro operators. Where appropriate, the review should be accompanied by a legislative proposal.

Next steps

On the basis of this mandate, the Council will start negotiations with the European Parliament in order to reach a final agreement in the coming weeks and before the current EUDR becomes applicable as of 30 December 2025.