EUDR: Latest News & Updates
On November 26, 2025, the EU Parliament has formally delayed enforcement of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) — until December 30, 2026 for large operators and June 30, 2027 for small/micro enterprises. EU member states endorsed the proposal in a plenary vote following a suggestion by the Danish Presidency of the EU Council. Further procedural steps are expected by mid-December (final vote is due on December 15-18) in order to enact the proposal as a new law. Furthermore, EU authorities have suggested that further simplification measures may be implemented in Spring, 2026, as the EU Parliament has called for a review of the “administrative burden”. This latest development follows the new proposals introduced in September and October (see immediately below), and the recent EU Council push to adopt a full one-year delay.
DECEMBER 4, 2025 UPDATE: On December 4, 2025, the EU Council and EU Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a targeted revision of EUDR, offering clarity on timelines, obligations and compliance expectations related. Key changes include the following: due diligence statements are now limited to the first placer; only operators placing products on the market are subjected to EUDR (not downstream operators); micro operators can submit a simplified declaration and will receive declaration identifiers (sufficient for traceability); printed products (printed books, newspapers, etc) are now excluded. Furthermore, the EU is expected to conduct an April Simplification Review in which it will consider additional simplification measures focused on data system performance, small operator challenges, and additional legislative adjustments. This process will be completed by April 30, 2026.
HOW TBG CAN SUPPORT YOUR EUDR COMPLIANCE: TBG has been working closely with global corporations/multinationals since 2023 to address their EUDR obligations. Just CLICK HERE to learn more about EUDR, and CLICK HERE to get in touch with our dedicated EUDR team so we can get your compliance process underway.
What You Need to Know:
The November 26th EU Parliament plenary vote adopts establish a uniform one-year delay (to December 30th, 2026) for all companies instead of the December 30th, 2025 deadline for large operators (entities that are responsible for placing or making available products in the EU marketplace), and 2026 deadline micro and small enterprises.
For micro- and small enterprises, the six-month grace period may be implemented in January-June, 2027. As the EU noted in October, a grace period would “allow economic operators to start complying with their obligations in line with the entry into application, while providing them with a grace period to adapt to the legislative changes.”
It is possible that downstream small and medium operators and traders may not be required to submit due diligence statements. Only one submission in the IT system will be required for the entire supply chain. In other words, the operator that places the product (or makes it available) in the market is responsible for reporting obligations.
The latest proposal must be formallized via a final vote on which is expected during December 15-18.
What Should Companies/Operators Do?
The EUDR saga can seem confusing so it is important to get the right guidance and support. We strongly recommend an EUDR Check-Up to determine your overall progress and obligations. This is a free service from TBG’s EUDR team that enables operators (of all sizes/categories) to quickly determine overall compliance and obligations ahead of the key deadlines.
How Does the EU Classify Companies?
“Operators” refers to large corporations/multinationals that are responsible for “placing products on (or making those products available in) the EU marketplace” and that sit above the revenue and employee threshold determined for SMEs. Conversely, “small” operators refers to SMEs and small companies based on the the following (staff and personnel) EU guideline:
medium companies (defined as those <250 employees and turnover of <€50 million),
small companies (defined as those with <50 employees and a turnover of <€10 million)
micro-enterprises (defined as those with <10 employees and a turnover of <€2million)
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Historical Background: The November 26th plenary vote news follows key developments in the last two months. On October 21st, the EU announced new (proposed) amendments for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This latest development, which clarifies the deadlines as well as obligations of large operators and small operators and traders, is the latest twist in a 2-year saga as EUDR was originally scheduled for December 30th, 2024. It follows the July 9th EU Parliament vote, rejecting the Country Benchmarking (Classification) System and the subsequent September 23rd letter from European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall proposing another 1-year delay due to IT issues. CLICK HERE to get in touch with our dedicated EUDR team and scroll below for more information.
Excerpts from Commissioner Roswall’s September 23rd letter:
“Based on the available information, the Commission’s assessment is that this [new projections on the number of expected operations and interactions between economic operators and the IT system has led to a substantial upward reassessment of the projected load on the IT system] will very likely lead to the system slowing down to unacceptable levels or even to repeated and long-lasting disruptions, which would negatively impact companies and their possibilities to comply with the EUDR. Operators would be unable to register as economic operators, introduce their Due Diligence Statements, retrieve the necessary information from the IT system, or provide the necessary information for customs purposes where relevant. This would severely impact the achievement of the objectives of EUDR, but also potentially affect trade flows in the areas covered by the legislation.”
“Despite efforts to address the issues in time for the entry into application of the EUDR, it is not possible to have sufficient guarantees that the IT system will be able to sustain the level of the expected load.”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
The Bassiouni Group (TBG) provides global solutions focused on Sustainability, Innovation and Impact. We leverage a Global Network comprised of more than 1000 experts in over 150 countries. Through TBG Consulting, TBG Global Advisors, TBG Purpose and TBG Capital, we undertake a wide range of projects — from Kenya to Kazakhstan — and transform challenges into opportunities.
