The European Commission has published a comprehensive report and a new suite of measures designed to simplify the implementation of the revised EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Following a political agreement reached last December, the package aims to provide legal stability and predictability for businesses while maintaining the regulation’s core environmental integrity.
In a move that will be welcomed by industry, the Commission estimates that the new simplification measures will lead to a 75% reduction in annual compliance costs for companies compared to the original regulation. The package comes as the EU prepares for the regulation to enter into application at the end of this year.
The centrepiece of the announcement is a report to the European Parliament and the Council detailing trade facilitation tools designed to ease the transition. These include:
- National repositories: Databases of legislation from producing countries to aid in risk assessment.
- Certification support: Recognised schemes for commodities to facilitate due diligence.
- Structural traceability: Evidence that the EUDR is already driving global investment in supply chain transparency.
“With today’s package, the Commission delivers on its commitment… to carry out a simplification review and prepares for the entry into application of the regulation by the end of this year,” the Commission stated.
The Commission also released updated guidance and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document. These provide critical clarity on e-commerce, geolocation modalities, and the downstream supply chain. Notably, the documents outline a very simplified regime specifically for micro and small primary operators to ensure they are not disproportionately burdened by the new rules.
In parallel, a draft delegated act has been proposed to refine the product scope. Key updates include:
- Additions: Certain downstream products, such as soluble coffee and specific palm oil derivatives, are now included.
- Exclusions: Leather and retreaded tyres have been removed from the scope.
- Exemptions: Product samples, second-hand items, waste, and certain packaging materials are now exempt.
Public feedback on the draft Delegated Act is open until 1 June 2026.
The Commission is updating the EUDR Information System to improve user-friendliness. New features include a simplified declaration form for small-scale operators and a “voluntary grouping” feature requested by the business sector. Work is also underway to link the system directly with national databases from Member States to automatically reflect available information, further reducing manual entry for small businesses.
The EUDR aims to prevent commodities—including cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, and rubber—from contributing to deforestation. Under the revised timeline:
- 30 December 2026: Application begins for large and medium companies, as well as micro and small enterprises in the timber sector.
- 30 June 2027: Application begins for all other micro and small enterprises.
The Commission remains focused on ensuring a successful entry into application by the end of 2026, noting that the regulation is already prompting positive transparency shifts in global supply chains ahead of the official start date.
