EU Council and European Parliament Reach Agreement on Amendments to the EUDR Regulation: More Time for Businesses to Prepare

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a preliminary political agreement on amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The aim of these changes is to ensure smoother implementation of the regulation, reduce administrative burden, and provide businesses with more time to prepare for the new requirements.

For the amendments to enter into force, the provisional agreement must still be formally approved and adopted by both institutions, which is expected to happen in mid-December this year.

According to the preliminary agreement, the application of the EUDR for all companies will be postponed as follows:

• For large and medium-sized enterprises – until 30 December 2026
• For micro and small enterprises – until 30 June 2027

Key EUDR amendments included in the agreement:

• Only the first supplier placing a product on the EU market will be required to submit a due diligence statement (declaration). Responsibility for the due diligence statement will lie solely with the operator who first places the product on the EU market. Other participants in the supply chain will no longer be required to submit separate declarations.
• The due diligence statement number will no longer need to be transferred along the entire supply chain.Going forward, this number will be collected and stored only by the first operator in the supply chain after the product is placed on the market.
• Simplified one-time declaration for the smallest market participants. Micro and small primary operators will be allowed to submit a single simplified declaration without conducting full due diligence without submitting a declaration for each individual placement of products on the EU market..
• Printed products will be exempt from the scope of the EUDR. Books, newspapers, and other printed materials will no longer be subject to EUDR requirements.
• An additional review of the EUDR is planned for 2026. The European Commission is required to assess the effectiveness of the simplifications and submit a report by 30 April 2026. This means that further easing of EUDR requirements may be considered in 2026.

If your company is active in biomass or related raw materials and you would like to learn more about the implementation of the EUDR regulation, please contact: [email protected]