EU countries are reportedly looking to push back implementation of the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by another year.
In September, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, proposed a fresh delay to implementing the law due to IT problems.
The regulations were set to come into play in December after already being pushed back.
Two months ago, a spokesperson for the the Commission told this publication it was due to hold talks with the European Parliament and the European Council on a new postponement.
A draft EU negotiating document, seen Tuesday (11 November) by Reuters but not by Just Food, suggests EU member states have called for EUDR to be postponed to 30 December 2026 for larger companies and to 30 June 2027 for smaller firms.
In October, the Commission proposed amendments to the EUDR to simplify compliance for businesses and smallholders.
The proposal intended to bring in "targeted simplifications" for retailers and manufacturers that work "in the downstream part of the relevant value chains", as well as "micro and small primary operators from low-risk countries worldwide who sell their goods directly on the European market", the Commission said in a statement at the time.
These "simplifications" included no longer requiring "downstream operators and traders to submit statements of due diligence, with only one submission being needed to be made in the EUDR IT system by those putting the first products on the market.
"For example, cocoa beans would need only one due diligence statement to be submitted by the importer placing them on the EU market, but downstream manufacturers of chocolate products will not be required to submit a new due diligence statement in the IT system," the Commission added.
For many EU countries, however, "the Commission's proposal alone was not enough", the negotiating draft reportedly said.
"The Commission’s EUDR proposal from 21 October is in the hands of the European Parliament and Council. We do not comment on ongoing negotiations," a Commission spokesperson said when approached on the topic by Just Food.
EUDR, first announced in 2021, was originally expected to apply from 30 December this year but the Commission faced pressure from parts of the food industry to extend the deadline. Brussels agreed to a one-year delay last December.
The law requires companies marketing products in the EU, including cocoa, coffee and palm oil, as well as foods that contain the ingredients, to show their supply chains are free from deforestation-related impacts.
Reflecting on the latest report, Nicole Rycroft, founder and CEO of Canopy, said: "Europe must remain committed to protecting the world’s forests by implementing the EUDR at the end of this year.
"As the world convenes in the Amazon for COP30, we need clarity and momentum not further confusion and delays. From conversations with brand leaders in Europe and global investors here in Belém, the message is consistent; there’s appetite and support for EUDR.
"Business needs policy certainty to act. I don’t know of a single competent business leader who is not already prepared for a major policy initiative that is only six-weeks out. We need ambitious regulation paired with industry leadership to build sustainable, resilient supply chains. Business is ready. Europe should be too.”
