Key elements of the Council’s position
The revised proposal includes the following changes:
- The obligations under the EUDR will apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large operators, and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small enterprises.
- The obligation to submit a due-diligence statement will lie exclusively with the operator who first places the product on the market.
- Downstream operators will no longer need to submit separate due-diligence statements but will only be required to retain and transfer the reference number of the original statement.
- Micro and small primary producers of commodities will submit a one-off simplified declaration.
The Council also requested that the European Commission prepare, by 30 April 2026, an assessment report on the effectiveness of the regulation’s implementation and on the administrative burden, particularly in relation to small and micro-operators. If appropriate, the assessment should be accompanied by a legislative proposal.
Background and context
On 19 November 2025, the Council of the European Union adopted its negotiating mandate for a targeted revision of the regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). The objective of the proposed amendment is to simplify the implementation of the existing rules and extend the timeline to ensure that operators, traders, and national authorities have sufficient time to prepare for the upcoming obligations.
The adjustment responds to concerns raised by Member States and stakeholders regarding technical challenges, system readiness, and the administrative burden — particularly for small and micro-operators. As a result, the Council supported the Commission’s proposal to streamline the due-diligence process and extend the application deadline uniformly until 30 December 2026, with an additional six-month transitional period for micro and small enterprises.
The Council decided to remove the previously proposed “grace period” for medium and large operators and instead introduce a single unified application date for all. The mandate further strengthens the simplification measures proposed by the Commission, focusing on reducing administrative burdens while maintaining the regulation’s environmental objectives.
