On September 23 European Environment Commissioner, Jessika Roswall, announced a one-year delay in the implementation of the Anti-Deforestation Regulation. On October 21 the Commission contradicted itself: the due diligence obligations under the EUDR will apply to medium-sized and large enterprises as early as December 30 2025, as planned. Only small and micro enterprises will have an additional 12 months to comply with the regulation.
The Commission contradicts itself
The Commission’s proposal will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. The bovine leather industry is dismayed. Less than two months before the regulation’s intended implementation date, it finds that the postponement proposed by the responsible Commissioner will no longer apply.
Not even the simplifications
The “simplifications to the Regulation” also proved disappointing: they lack the changes desired by companies (leather and otherwise). There is no new “no-risk” category in the country benchmark, nor any relaxation of supplier geolocation requirements. There are two new changes, however. Reporting in the IT system (and the related responsibilities) will be carried out only by the operators who first place the products on the market (in favor of those who subsequently market or process them). Meanwhile, small and micro businesses importing from low-risk countries will be able to complete simplified due diligence, as well as one-off due diligence.
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