The covered commodities stay the same: cocoa, oil palm, wood, cattle, soya, coffee, rubber

What is the aim of the amendment?

On 17 December 2025, the European Parliament voted to amend the EU Deforestation Regulation. The amendment aims to reduce the administrative burden and give companies more time to prepare. The products covered by the Regulation remain the same. Obligations may differ from company to company compared with the original legislation, so the complexity of preparation can vary too.

After the vote, the Parliament’s rapporteur, Christine Schneider (EPP, Germany), said: “The core of the EU deforestation regulation remains unchanged. We protect forests that face a real risk of deforestation, while avoiding unnecessary obligations in areas where no such risk exists.”

Preparation deadlines

Companies get one more year to prepare. For medium-sized and large companies, the Regulation applies from 30 December 2026 instead of the original 30 December 2025. For micro and small enterprises, the new date is 30 June 2027.

What stays the same and what changes?

• Companies that import relevant products from outside the EU or export them from the EU are still the most affected.
• The Regulation defines new roles, which eases compliance obligations for many companies.
• The commodities themselves have not changed. The list of relevant products made from them has been narrowed only for printed products: books, newspapers and magazines, for example, are no longer covered by the EUDR.

What does this mean in practice?

The Regulation still applies to a wide range of companies, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the largest ones. There is more time to prepare and requirements are simpler for some operators, but compliance remains highly complex.

What should companies do?

• Clarify quickly whether the EUDR applies to you. The amendment narrowed the scope and changed how applicability is defined. The first step is therefore to establish whether, and to what extent, the Regulation applies to your company.
• If the EUDR still applies to your company, identify the relevant products and assess how ready your supply chain is, using targeted data collection for those products. You also need internal policies and operating procedures that meet the Regulation’s requirements.
• Build data systems and processes. The Regulation requires ongoing compliance, so it is worth setting up structures that work efficiently for your company from the start.