The Commission is releasing additional guidance documents and a more robust international cooperation framework to support global stakeholders, Member States, and third countries in preparing to implement the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). In response to feedback from international partners, the Commission is proposing to grant concerned parties more time to prepare. If approved, the law would become applicable for large companies on December 30, 2025, and for micro- and small enterprises on June 30, 2026.
The EU Deforestation Regulation aims to ensure that certain goods placed on the EU market no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and worldwide. Deforestation and forest degradation are significant drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss, the two critical environmental challenges of our time.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest, an area larger than the European Union, were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. Based on deforestation rates from 2015 to 2020, the world is losing over nine times the forest surface of Brussels’ Bois de la Cambre every hour, or three times the surface of the Parc Léopold bordering the European Parliament in Brussels every minute.
The guidance announced today aims to clarify the application of the rules to companies and enforcement authorities. With the intended implementation date just three months away, many global partners have expressed concerns about their preparedness. Due to the novel nature of the EUDR, the tight timeline, and the involvement of various international stakeholders, the Commission is proposing a 12-month extension to phase in the system. This is intended to support operators worldwide in ensuring a smooth implementation from the start. The Commission emphasises that the extension proposal does not question the law’s objectives or substance, as agreed by the EU co-legislators.
