EU confirms further 12 month delay to the deforestation regulations (EUDR)

The agreement has now been ratified by the European Council (which is a routine procedure and took place on the afternoon of 18 December) and now needs to be published in the Official Journal to enter into force…and therefore it is almost certain that the following agreement made in the trilogue will come into effect from 1 January 2026.

• The obligation and responsibility to submit the required due diligence statement will fall exclusively on the operators who first place the product on the market. The co-legislators have agreed that only the first downstream operator in the supply chain will be responsible for collecting and retaining the reference number of the initial due diligence statement, rather than passing it on further down the chain.
• Delay in the application date for all operators until 30 December 2026, with an extra six-month cushion for micro and small operators to June 2027.
• The European Commission has been tasked by both co-legislators with conducting a simplification review and presenting a report by 30 April 2026. If appropriate, the report should be accompanied with a legislative proposal.

Importantly for the printing Industry those printed products covered under HS Code 49, such as books, newspaper, journals and advertising material will now be exempt from the legislation, however those covered by HS code 48 will continue to be covered, including items such as printed cartons (sold as a product), diaries, stationery and labels. Contact [email protected] if you have any questions.