The EU deforestation regulation gives third countries, member states, operators and traders more time to comply with “due diligence obligations”.
Today (14 November) a vote took place in the plenary of the European Parliament.
The EUDR bill was amended nine times, including the vote on postponement, and all but one, 12 (amendment) were adopted.
A vote was held on the postponement of implementation proposed by the European Commission. 371 MEPs voted in favour, while 240 voted against. However, 30 MEPs did not vote.
EUDR deadline: how long does it last?
Six of the fifteen amendments that the European People's Party had submitted, as well as a proposal for a two-year extension from the European Commission's point of view - instead of the proposed year - were withdrawn from the vote.
The vote itself was delayed due to a technical problem with amendment six. However, the President of the European Parliament refused to allow a second vote and instead moved on to the next amendment. This caused some unrest among MEPs.
Many industry players were relieved by the outcome, including Copa-Cogeca. In a social media post, Copa-Cogeca said: “We accept the results of the European Parliament vote on EUDR-related deforestation.”
We will continue to closely monitor the developments of the case in order to reduce unnecessary bureaucratic burden and simplify the process.
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Following the vote, operators and large companies have until 30 December 2025 to fully comply with the EUDR. Micro and small enterprises have until 30 June 2026.
The EU has agreed to delay by one year the requirement to submit legal documents for trade in various goods to and from the EU. The EUDR has been in force since 29 June 2023..
Since then, charities have criticised the decision to delay implementation, calling it a "catastrophe" and criticising the role of European authorities in "environmental genocide".
A new "loophole" has been introduced in addition to the deadlines for products from countries considered "safe".
EUDR's new 'no risk' category
This new category, called "risk-free," is reserved for countries with stable or growing forests and where the risk of deforestation is considered low or non-existent.
Environmental organization Earthsight has slammed a proposed amendment that would eliminate all risks, calling the criteria "arbitrary."
The amendments could create a loophole that would allow products from high-risk countries to transit through low-risk countries.
Julia Christian, a campaigner for the NGO Fern, which defends forests and human rights, said that by voting in favour of the postponement, the European Parliament had "put the brakes on" Europe's attempts to halt deforestation in its supply chain.
Christian added: "The amendment that changes the ranking of countries in terms of deforestation is particularly egregious, as it would give forested EU countries a free pass."
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