EUDR: Application postponed and key simplifications introduced

Following the European Commission’s proposal of 21 October 2025 for targeted amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and its formal amendment proposal of 4 December 2025, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement that partially departs from the Commission’s original approach.

A key outcome of the agreement is the introduction of a new provision requiring the European Commission to carry out a simplification review of the EUDR by 30 April 2026. Based on this review, the Commission must submit a report to the Parliament and the Council, accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal. The agreement was formally adopted on 17 and 18 December 2025 by both co-legislators and subsequently published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 23 December 2025 as Regulation (EU) 2025/2650.

Postponed application dates:

The application of the EUDR has been postponed:

• to 30 December 2026 for medium-sized and large operators and traders;

• to 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators, with the exception of operators already covered by the former EUTR Regulation.

The revised framework introduces several important simplifications:

• Only operators first placing products on the EU market will be required to submit due diligence statements.

• Only the first downstream operators will need to keep and pass on the reference number of the initial due diligence statement.

• Micro and small primary operators will submit a one-off simplified declaration, with no obligation to update it.

• These operators may also replace geolocation data with a postal address, provided it clearly corresponds to the geographic location of the plots or establishment concerned.

  
  

The European Timber Industries welcome the agreement reached by the three EU Institutions, considering it a step in the right direction to ensure workability and proportionality, while preserving the core objective of combating deforestation.

CEI-Bois stands ready to actively contribute to the forthcoming simplification review, providing concrete feedback on real-life implications and proposing solutions to address remaining challenges related to the implementation of the Regulation.