🚨 Stop Press: EU Deforestation Regulation Stays Course – But Simplification is Coming!

Brussels, 22 October 2025

In a significant move that ends weeks of speculation, the European Commission (Commission) has announced a proposal to amend the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), crucially choosing to maintain the original 30 December 2025 application date for most large businesses.

This decision comes directly after the Commission had previously signalled an intention on October 2nd to delay the application date by another year, sparking debate across global commodity supply chains.

The new proposal introduces a crucial phased implementation schedule and targeted simplification measures aimed at easing the regulatory burden, particularly on smaller operators.

⏳ The Revised Implementation Timeline

Contrary to the anticipated blanket delay, the Commission has opted for a tiered approach:

• Large and Medium Enterprises: The EUDR officially applies from 30 December 2025. However, they will benefit from a six-month grace period for checks and enforcement, pushing rigorous enforcement to 30 June 2026.
• Micro and Small Enterprises: These smaller operators receive a longer extension, with their compliance date shifted to 30 December 2026 (a six-month delay from the currently enacted date of 30 June 2026).

These transitional periods are designed to ensure the new EUDR Information System can handle the anticipated volume of Due Diligence Statements (DDS) and grant companies essential time to fully adapt their traceability systems.

📝 Relief for Downstream and Small Operators

The Commission’s proposal directly addresses stakeholder feedback by introducing key simplification measures:

• Simplified Reporting for Downstream Operators: The burden of compliance is now more clearly focused upstream. Operators and traders who simply commercialize (sell downstream) EUDR-relevant products after they are first placed on the EU market will no longer be required to submit a DDS. The responsibility rests primarily with the initial Operator introducing the product/commodity to the EU market.
• One-off Declarations for Small Operators: Micro and small primary operators (including nearly all EU farmers and foresters) sourcing from low-risk countries will only be required to submit a simple, one-off declaration into the EUDR Information System. This drastically reduces the ongoing administrative load for the smallest players.

📈 What This Means Now

The proposal, which covers commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood, reinforces the EU’s core commitment to tackling global deforestation linked to consumption.

For global suppliers (including those providing hides/leather from cattle or derivatives of other covered commodities), the time to achieve plot-level traceability is rapidly running out. The message from the Commission is clear: prepare now, as the regulation is coming into force in just over a year.

The proposal now moves to the European Parliament and the Council for formal adoption. The Commission urges a swift approval by 30 December 2025 to provide maximum certainty to the market.