EU mulls changes to EUDR
The EU is considering adding a number of products to its deforestation regulation, according to reports from several news outlets which claim that palm oil soap and instant coffee could now be added to the incoming legislation[i].
Reports claim that the EU will amend the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to remove leather and instead add instant coffee along with soap made from palm oil. At the same time the European Commission has stressed that it will not fully reopen the regulation’s text for negotiation.
Currently, the EUDR will require those who import seven commodities: coffee, cocoa, palm oil, cattle, soy, timber and rubber, as well as some derived products, to prove that their supply chains are not linked to deforestation. The burden for this will be placed on companies and will include a requirement to share plot-level geolocation data.
The Commission has also confirmed that the benchmarking system classifying countries by deforestation risk (from low to high) will not be reviewed this year. This is contrary to initial plans to align it with the latest FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) forest data. Instead, the update will be postponed until after the rules are implemented.
Postponed regulation
The rumoured changes follow a previous postponement made to the EUDR’s introduction. Last December the European Parliament and Council reached an agreement to delay the EUDR by one year, as well as to consider targeted revisions. It means that the regulation will now come effect from 30th December 2026 for medium and large operators, and from 30th June 2027 for micro and small operators[ii].
In addition, micro and small primary operators will now only have to submit a one-off simplified declaration, making it easier for businesses to comply with the law without compromising on its objectives. Further, only businesses that are first to place a relevant product on the EU market will be responsible for submitting due diligence statements, and not the operators and traders that subsequently commercialise it[iii]. Printed products have also been removed from the Regulation’s scope.
These changes will all be enshrined within the ‘simplification package’ due to be published in April this year. The possible exclusion of leather, which some lawmakers in the European Parliament pushed for in December, would ultimately be a political decision, Euractiv reports.
References
[i] EXCLUSIVE: EU to tweak product list under deforestation rules without reopening text | Euractiv
[iii] Ibid
