The European Union has reached a provisional agreement with the bloc's Parliament to delay implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year.
Requested amendments from the EU Parliament made in November were omitted from the agreement.
Large companies will now have until 30 December 2025 to abide by the rules, while the regulation will apply to smaller businesses from 30 June 2026.
The agreement, approved yesterday (3 December) by the European Council and Parliament, "will not affect the substance of the existing rules", the Council said in a statement.
Last month, Parliament proposed to add a “no risk” clause to the EUDR regulation in a bid to make the legislation less burdensome for countries that bear no links to deforestation.
Just Food understands Parliament's request to add the clause has not been included in the provisional agreement but the European Commission is expected to assess ways to make the law less burdensome for countries with no links to deforestation.
"In the context of the general review of the regulation expected no later than 30 June 2028, the Commission will analyse additional measures to simplify and reduce administrative burden," Parliament said in a statement yesterday.
The provisional deal also includes a pledge from the Commission to complete its deforestation risk classification system six months ahead of the 30 December 2025 implementation.
The EUDR, first announced in 2021, was originally due to come into play on 30 December this year but had faced pressure from the food industry to extend the deadline.
Under the law, businesses selling cocoa, coffee, palm oil and other products in the EU would need to prove their supply chains do not contribute to deforestation.
Speaking on behalf of Parliament after the deal was agreed yesterday, EPP MEP Christine Schneider said: "We promised and we have delivered. This postponement means businesses, foresters, farmers and authorities will have an additional year to prepare."
She added that Parliament "would have preferred to see several issues directly enshrined in the law, but the Council refused. It is now up to the Commission to deliver on its commitments. We MEPs will closely monitor this process, in particular efforts towards reducing bureaucracy”.
Postponement of the EUDR now needs to be approved by both Parliament and the European Council to be entered into EU law by the end of the year. Parliament will vote on the provisional agreement at the next plenary session being held between 16 and 19 December.
Environmental campaign groups had mixed responses to the news.
Fyfe Strachan, the policy lead at NGO Earthsight, said that while "we have dodged a bullet this time, the EPP should never have played fast and loose with such an important law", adding that the "EUDR passed in 2023, and the focus should be on implementation, not an endless back-and-forth of reopening and amendments".
She added: "After the rollercoaster of the past few weeks, the European Council, Parliament, and Commission must now draw a firm line: there must be no more attacks on the EUDR.”
Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, the manager for forests at the World Wildlife Fund's European policy office, said it was "a relief that the fundamental elements of the most progressive EU law to fight deforestation remain unchanged", but stressed that the 12-month delay "is already a step backward, allowing deforestation to continue unabated".
The Forest Stewardship Council, meanwhile, said the one-year setback "should not deter immediate action for sustainable forestry", and that companies should "act as if the EUDR is already in effect", so they are prepared in time and can "advance the stewardship our forests".
