Delaying the European Deforestation Regulation's enforcement has been approved by the European Council, two weeks after the Commission made the proposal.
The Council agreed a postponement of 12 months would allow third countries, member states, operators and traders more time to prepare for the "due diligence obligations", ensuring commodities sold in or exported from the EU would be deforestation-free.
Next, the Council will inform the European Parliament of its decision, after which the Parliament will vote on the proposal in a plenary session on 13-14 November.
The Council must also vote on the regulation's formal adoption so it can be enforced by the end of the year, the Council said in a statement.
EU Parliament must vote on EUDR delay
Although both the Commission and the Council have recommended a delay, EUDR has been in place since 29 June 2023. It is the requirements to provide legal documentation to trade certain commodities and products containing these that have been delayed, said RSPO deputy director for EMEA Ruben Brunsveld.
But the proposed delay has faced backlash. In a letter this week, over 225 civil society organisations from 42 countries joined forces with the WWF to call on the European Parliament and EU governments to bin the 12-month delay.
"This is not the moment to give companies even more time to destroy our remaining forests," said WWF manager for the European policy office, Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove.
"The delay would penalise those companies that made significant investments to comply with the law on time, and reward the laggards. Is this really the signal EU policy-makers want to send?"
In the letter, the organisations cite EUDR as being adopted democratically with "record levels of public engagement and support".
"Nearly 1.2m people in Europe told the European Commission directly that they don't want to continue to be complicit with global deforestation and called for immediate action," it read.
'The world is facing climate crunch time'
The world was facing a "climate crunch time" and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's "hesitation stands in stark contrast to the urgency" of the UN Secretary-General, it continued.
If the regulation delay is approved, large operators and traders will have until 30 December 2025 to be fully compliant with EUDR, while micro- and small businesses will be required to comply by 30 June 2026.
"The targeted amendment will not affect the substance of the already existing rules, which is to minimise the EU's contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide," said the European Council.
Experts believe the delay will go ahead, citing a critical business need for the amendment as smallhoders and emerging markets were put at risk.
Industry repeatedly raised concerns about implementing EUDR this year, citing a lack of clarity on how the regulation would work and claiming it would cause chaos. As it proposed the delay, the European Commission published new guidance and issued 40 FAQ updates.
