The deforestation regulation has already been in force since June 29, 2023, and its provisions are to be applied from December 30, 2024.
This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be fully prepared in terms of their due diligence obligations, to ensure that certain commodities and products sold in the EU or exported from the EU are deforestation-free.
The European Council recently reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on a proposed targeted amendment of the EU Deforestation Regulation, postponing its date of application by 12 months to December 30, 2025.
This will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to prepare for due diligence obligations to ensure export and import of deforestation-free products.
This includes products made from cattle, wood and rubber and some of their derived products.
This agreement still needs to be confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure, an official release said.
This would give legal certainty, predictability and sufficient time for the smooth and effective implementation of the rules, including fully establishing due diligence systems that cover all relevant commodities and products.
According to the provisional agreement, the targeted amendment will not affect the substance of the existing rules, which aims to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide, by only allowing deforestation-free products to be placed on the EU market or exported from the EU.
Once formally adopted, the law will become applicable on December 30, 2025, for large companies and June 30, 2026, for micro and small enterprises.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
