The European Parliament approved the postponement of the EUDR by one year earlier this week. Yesterday, 18th December, the Council of Ministers approved the postponement during their Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) meeting which is the final step in the process.
The Press release from 18/12/24 states:
EU deforestation law: Council formally adopts its one-year postponement
Today, the Council formally adopted the regulation on the postponement of application of the EU deforestation law by one year.
This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be fully prepared in terms of their due diligence obligations, in order to ensure that certain commodities and products sold in the EU or exported from the EU are deforestation-free. This includes products made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber and some of their derived products.
The deforestation regulation has already been in force since 29 June 2023 and its provisions are to be applied from 30 December 2024. Following this targeted amendment, its rules will start to apply on 30 December 2025.
This will give legal certainty, predictability and sufficient time for the smooth and effective implementation of the rules.
Next steps
The formal adoption by the Council today marks the final step in the ordinary legislative procedure. The regulation will now be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU, so that it can enter into force before the end of the year.
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