Over the past weeks there have been a number of quickly moving developments regarding the proposed revision of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). EU institutions are now closely aligned on a significant postponement and simplification of the Regulation.

‍These changes are not yet final and remain subject to trilogue negotiations.

‍

Summary of the developments

The European Parliament has voted to fast-track discussions and has now adopted its negotiating position.

The Council has adopted its General Approach and is aligned with Parliament on the major elements of the revision.

Both institutions now support a one-year postponement of the EUDR’s application for operators, together with a set of measures to simplify compliance. However, the revised dates will only take effect once a final agreement is reached and published in the Official Journal.

‍

Key elements of the emerging agreement

Postponement of application:
Large operators and traders would apply the EUDR from 30 December 2026, while micro- and small operators would follow from 30 June 2027. This delay is intended to allow the European Commission additional time to upgrade the IT systems required for electronic due-diligence statements.

Centralised responsibility for due diligence:
The obligation to submit due-diligence statements would rest solely with the operator that first places the product on the EU market. Downstream operators and traders would no longer submit separate statements but would be required to keep and forward the reference number of the original statement.

Simplified rules for micro and small primary operators:
These operators would only need to submit a one-off simplified declaration.
The Council has also proposed expanding the definition of micro and small primary operators to allow companies with larger overall operations, but small activities covered by the Regulation, to benefit from these lighter requirements.

Reduced geolocation requirements:
Micro and small primary operators would be allowed to substitute detailed geolocation data with either the address of the plot(s) of land concerned or the postal address of the relevant establishment.

Planned review of administrative burden:
Both Parliament and Council have requested that the Commission conduct a simplification review by 30 April 2026, assessing the EUDR’s administrative impact on operators, in particular micro and small enterprises.

‍

Next steps

Parliament and Council will now enter trilogue negotiations with the aim of reaching a final agreement before the current Regulation is due to take effect on 30 December 2025. While the institutions are strongly aligned, the postponement and simplification measures will only be confirmed once the final text is agreed in trilogue and formally adopted.