“The European Commission’s proposal to amend the EUDR is yet another profound disappointment that we must endure from Brussels”. Fabrizio Nuti, president of UNIC – Italian Tanneries, makes no attempt to hide his frustration at the Commission’s U-turn on the anti-deforestation regulation: the assurances of a postponement and simplification have been entirely disregarded. “The Commission contradicts itself”, Nuti (pictured) stated in a note, “considering that only a month ago the Commissioner for the Environment publicly declared that the application of the Regulation would be postponed by one year. Now the proposal merely extends the deadline by six months, and only for micro and small enterprises. Evidently, they fail to understand that companies need certainty, especially on the regulatory front, in order to plan their work”.
Yet another let-down
A change in the implementation timeline of this kind — abrupt and unwelcome — harms businesses not only formally but in substance. “In recent weeks,” continues the president of UNIC, “following the announcement made in September, contracts for the purchase of hides were signed with deliveries scheduled for 2026, and these will now have to be revised to assess compliance with the severe and pointless requirements imposed by the EUDR on our products. And the announcement that there will be no inspections or sanctions in the first half of next year is nothing short of a mockery. Why? We do not wish to operate in a legal limbo — even if this limbo is not only tolerated but actually encouraged by European authorities, which is paradoxical”.
The simplification
Even the promised simplification has proven to be a failure. “The real issue for us is obtaining geolocation data — and that issue still remains”, Nuti stresses. “The proposed changes are nowhere near sufficient. They are still keeping hides within the scope of the Regulation, which, as we know, makes no sense whatsoever in terms of battling deforestation. Moreover, we requested — and continue to request — the removal of the obligation to geolocate operators in the supply chain, which is utterly unnecessary if the country of origin is deemed low-risk. Yet this obligation remains, for all countries. Some simplifications are foreseen solely for European production, but this only heightens the disparity in treatment with non-EU production and represents an increase in the protectionist barrier that will arise as a result of the Regulation — not a wise move at a time when commercial conflicts are proliferating around the globe”.
UNIC is not giving up
“In short”, Nuti concludes, “the Commission, likely a victim of the political short circuits currently unfolding in Brussels, has once again shown itself to be unreliable, indifferent to the challenges facing European industries and to the economic and social implications of its decisions. We, however, will not give up and will continue our battle for a sensible amendment to the Regulation”.
Read also:
- With the EUDR, the Commission has already played the Halloween prank on us
- The Commission contradicts itself: EUDR in force as early as 2026
- Italy’s government to the EU: “Excluding hides and leather or greatly simplify the EUDR”
- UNIC in Rome to discuss the EUDR with the president of Paraguay
- UNIC, mission in Brazil and Paraguay to talk about traceability
