Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission in Brussels welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal to grant an additional 12-month period to start implementation. This will ensure the proper and effective implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation, while preserving its integrity.
According to a statement issued by the Commission, a copy of which was received by us, “The Commission’s proposal comes in response to feedback from international partners, Member States and companies on the state of their preparedness and to give all stakeholders sufficient time to prepare.
Once formally adopted, the law will enter into force on 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for small and micro enterprises. This will allow third countries, Member States, operators and traders an additional year to prepare for the implementation of the regulation.
Given the novelty of the EUDR, the deforestation regulation, the fast-track calendar, and the diversity of international stakeholders involved, the additional 12 months to gradually roll out the system is a balanced solution to support operators worldwide in ensuring smooth implementation from the outset. This is essential to ensure certainty about the way forward and ensure the success of the EUDR.
In the meantime, the Commission will continue to provide further clarifications on the legislation and explore further simplifications, fully consistent with the objectives of the regulation, through updates to the guidelines and the FAQ document.
The Commission’s proposal was part of a broader package of support measures issued on 2 October, including Additional guidance documents and a stronger international cooperation framework to support global stakeholders, Member States and third countries in their preparations for the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation. The Commission aims to finalise the country standards system as soon as possible but no later than 30 June 2025, in dialogue with most countries concerned. The information system where companies will register their due diligence data will start operating on 4 December.
The European Parliament and the Council will now have to formally adopt the targeted amendment to the EU Deforestation Regulation before it can enter into force.
The Deforestation Regulations will enter into force on 30 June 2023. When the rules come into force, all relevant companies will have to exercise due diligence if they place on the EU market, or export from it, palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber, as well as some products derived from them (such as beef, furniture and chocolate).
Deforestation and forest degradation are important drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest – an area larger than the European Union – were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. In terms of net area loss (the difference between the area of ​​forest cleared and the new area of ​​forest planted or regenerated), the FAO estimates that the world lost about 178 million hectares of forest cover in the same period, an area three times the size of France. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 23% of total greenhouse gas emissions (2007-2016) come from agriculture, forestry and other land uses. About 11% of total emissions come from forestry and other land uses, mostly deforestation, while the remaining 12% are direct emissions from agricultural production such as livestock and fertilizers.