The European Parliament has voted to “fast-track” a new Council proposal to delay the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to December 2026 and June 2027, mere weeks before the regulation was scheduled to take effect.
It comes days after Wood Central revealed that the EUDR current rollout – still currently slated to go into effect on December 30 – is in “total chaos” after a majority of EU Ambassadors pushed to “stop the clock” on the regulation ahead of a December 15-18 vote in the European Commission.
The ballot followed the European Commission’s announcement last month of an IT glitch that effectively delayed the law’s implementation until the end of 2026, the second delay, as the law was initially due to take effect from 30 December 2024.
Lawmakers also backed a Presidency proposal to simplify the law, reducing the data load handled by the IT system and cutting administrative burdens for farmers, foresters and small operators. Under the revised text, micro and small operators selling directly on the EU market will be exempt from producing detailed due diligence statements; instead, they will file a one‑off declaration in the IT system.
Farmers and foresters can also liaise with cooperatives or member state authorities to submit registration forms on their behalf. “Fundamentally, they don’t have to do anything; it will be done by the member state in case a database is already in place,” one senior Commission official said, adding that the load in the IT system will be reduced with these measures.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall said the reforms strike a balance between simplification and Europe’s climate leadership. “We’re simplifying the rules for small farmers while keeping Europe’s leadership in the fight against deforestation,” she said.
The urgent procedure was backed by the powerful centre‑right European People’s Party (EPP), which described the proposal as “a step in the right direction.” However, the real challenge now lies in securing agreement on the content of the revised law, with members of the right‑wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) signalling that they are prepared to partner with the EPP on a “focused reform package,” arguing that the current proposal does not sufficiently resolve the challenges raised by member states, operators and authorities.
In response, Vidya Rangan, Director of Policy and Engagement at the ISEAL Alliance, criticised the delay, arguing that governments, businesses, and producers need policy certainty to advance action on deforestation. “The data is clear that deforestation is overwhelmingly driven by clearance for agriculture. Addressing the EU’s footprint in this starts with full implementation of the EU’s anti‑deforestation law at the earliest date,” she told Euronews.
Wood Central understands that lawmakers will vote on the revised law’s content during the November 24–27 plenary session in Strasbourg, before the Parliament move to adopt a first‑reading at its December 15–18 plenary.
- To learn why failures with the EUDR’s IT system could lead to further delays in the rollout of the world’s strictest deforestation regulation, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
