The EU has postponed its Regulation on deforestation-free products again. The postponement aims to simplify implementation downstream operators, traders, and micro- and small undertakings and make sure that they and regulators are prepared adequately for its application.

The Regulation requires supply chain due diligence for cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya, wood and its derived products (such as leather or chocolate). Products may only be placed on the EU market if they are deforestation‑free, produced legally and covered by a due diligence statement submitted via the EU information system.

Penalties are to be set at national level but may include fines of at least 4% of EU turnover, confiscation of products or revenues and, for serious or repeated infringements, temporary prohibitions on dealing in the commodities covered by the Regulation. 

In December 2024, the EU granted a 12-month phasing-in period, making the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large and medium companies and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.

The revision streamlines the due diligence requirements and postpones the application of the regulation for all operators until 30 December 2026, and to 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators. 

The EU says that this is in response to concerns raised by member states and stakeholders regarding administrative burden and the readiness of the IT system which is needed for the Regulation to function effectively.  However, it also says that the Regulation will still meet the objectives of preventing deforestation and forest degradation linked to products placed on the EU market.

To further reduce administrative burdens, certain printed products (such as books, newspapers, printed pictures) were removed from the scope of the regulation, which the EU says reflects the limited deforestation risk associated with these items.

The revised regulation also introduces the obligation for the European Commission to conduct a simplification review of the Regulation and present a report by 30 April 2026. The report will evaluate the impact and administrative burden of the Regulation, especially for smaller operators.

Following its formal adoption by the Council, the amending Regulation (EU) 2025/265 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union and entered into force three days after publication in December 2025.  

If you would like support complying with the Regulation, please get in touch.