European Parliament Kicks EUDR Down the Road for 12 More Months

It’s official. The European Parliament has voted to postpone the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) for another 12 months to December 2026, aligning with the position adopted by EU countries at the Council last week.

The regulation, which is for now still slated to take effect on 30 December 2025, requires companies to prove that products sold in the EU — including cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber, livestock, and timber — are not linked to deforestation.

A majority of Members of Parliament backed amendments put forward by European People’s Party negotiator Christine Schneider, delaying implementation for all companies by one year and mandating the European Commission to carry out an impact assessment by April 2026. It comes as the vote was supported by the so‑called “Venezuela majority,” including far‑right groups such as Patriots for Europe and the European Conservatives and Reformists.

Attempts by Socialists and the Renew group to reach a compromise with the centre‑right EPP collapsed earlier in the week, leaving Schneider to defend the outcome: “It’s difficult to understand why a compromise supported by 24 of the 27 member states is deemed unacceptable for S&D and Renew.”

Environmental groups reacted sharply.

Fyfe Strachan, Policy and Communications Lead at Earthsight, told Wood Central that Members of Parliament had once again voted to press pause on protecting forests and instead watch the products of deforestation and associated human rights abuses flow into Europe for yet another year.

“Today’s parliamentary session showed how a process that began with the promise of targeted ‘simplification’ ultimately saw hundreds of rushed amendments attacking the law from all sides,” Strachan said. “Yet parliament seems unable to learn from this, endorsing a review clause that could see the whole process repeated next year.”

“Businesses across Europe have said in recent months they are ready to implement the law. Delaying and weakening the EUDR punishes these companies for investing in compliance while rewarding the laggards,” Strachan added. “The EUDR is too important to let it be carved up and picked apart. The EU Commission must take this proposal off the table and implement the law as planned.”

EarthSight’s latest research shows timber from bulldozed Indonesian rainforests, including critical orangutan habitat, is already reaching European markets. Strachan warned that, until the EUDR is enforced, nothing prevents businesses from continuing to buy products that cause environmental destruction.

“What started as an IT issue has morphed into a chaotic and unmanageable situation. The European Commission must urgently clean up this mess and take back control,” said Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, the Policy Manager for Forests at WWF European Policy Office. “The approach adopted today represents a complete withdrawal from responsibility towards future generations, who will bear the cost of delayed action,” Schulmeister-Oldenhove added. “The Commission needs to learn from this lesson: it must stop the dismantling of the EUDR and the Environmental Omnibus. All hell will break loose with more simplification.” 

What comes next?

Wood Central understands that the new vote does not immediately change the law or its timeline but sets Parliament’s negotiating position ahead of a crucial Commission plenary session in mid-December. It now mirrors the stance adopted by EU countries at the Council on 19 November, meaning the three institutions — Parliament, the Council, and the Commission — must agree on the text before any amendments take full effect.

• 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.