The European Commission has called for a further 12-month delay to the enforcement of its flagship deforestation regulation, citing technical challenges with its supporting IT system.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, wrote to senior policymakers on 23 September requesting that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) be postponed. The law requires that beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy and wood sold in the EU be certified as “deforestation-free” and legally produced.
In her letter, Roswall warned that the system designed to handle transaction data submissions would not be able to cope with the expected scale of information in time for the planned start date.
The EUDR was due to take effect for large companies from 30 December 2024 and for smaller firms from December 2025, but was already subject to a one-year delay confirmed in October 2024. The Commission has now had more than two years to prepare.
Environmental groups have condemned the latest proposal, arguing it undermines efforts to curb global deforestation and penalises companies that have already invested heavily in compliance. Critics also fear that further delays could weaken the regulation’s scope and requirements.
The final decision on whether to grant the postponement now rests with senior EU policymakers.
