The European Commission must hold firm and not “stop the clock” on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to 87 environmental and civil society organisations, including the WWF, Greenpeace, and the Rainforest Alliance, who wrote to policymakers before a crucial vote on the regulation.
The letter says the European Commission’s 21 October proposal already “introduces far-reaching changes to the EUDR and significantly rolls back the obligations on EU operators and traders,” and that further amendments sought by some politicians and businesses would “undermine the impact of the EU’s most consequential law to combat deforestation.”
Signatories argue the Commission’s draft already gives companies “a high level of flexibility” through exemptions, delays, and simplified procedures, and warned that additional concessions would create “sunk costs for businesses and EU Member States who have spent millions to be EUDR-ready.” The letter notes that a year of implementation has been lost due to “prolonged political negotiations,” resulting in uncertainty across supply chains as firms await “clear and consistent guidance.”
“Zero risk” category defeats the purpose of the EUDR
The group flagged concern over proposals for a “stop the clock” mechanism and a “zero‑risk” country category, warning the measures could indefinitely delay the regulation or “further lessen[ing] its ambitions,” and saying such changes would “defeat the very purpose of a regulation that took years of careful negotiation to design.” The co‑signatories urged EU policymakers to “act decisively and move forward with implementation.”
And with COP30 to be hosted in Belém, Brazil in the coming days — described in the letter as “the gateway to the Amazon rainforest” — signatories warned that any further rollbacks would test the EU’s environmental leadership just as forests worldwide approach dangerous tipping points; the letter notes the Amazon has already lost 17 percent of its forested area and cautions that “every delay puts forests, communities, climate goals, and the EU’s credibility at greater risk.”
The concerns follow reporting by Wood Central that policy makers are considering a “green lane” for timber and other products from countries classified as low‑risk, a change that would sharply ease compliance for smallholders and downstream businesses. Under the draft, smallholders in many low‑risk countries would often need only a one‑time declaration to register as an operator; the amendment would apply to roughly 141 low‑risk countries while excluding 49 standard‑risk countries and a handful of high‑risk jurisdictions.
Speaking about the proposal, EU Environmental Commissioner Jessika Roswall described the package as responding to “real implementation challenges,” saying it “simplifies the rules notably for small farmers and operators, while maintaining Europe’s global leadership in the fight against deforestation,” and framed the draft as a way of “making the rules work in a better and smarter way because effective implementation matters.” The open letter’s authors counter that added flexibility must not become loopholes that hollow out the regulation’s core protections.
“We urge the European Parliament and Member States to ensure the timely implementation of the EUDR on 30 December 2025, as intended, and refrain from weakening the legislative text further.” Their final admonition is blunt: “The message is simple: apply the law now.”
- 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.
