European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
What You Need to Know About
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) aims to ensure that key commodities sold within the EU, such as timber, coffee, soy, cocoa, palm oil, and cattle, do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation.
As part of the European Union’s efforts to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the European Parliament and Council formally adopted the EUDR June 29, 2023.
This new regulation, which replaces the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) established in March 2013, will require all importers of timber or timber products in the EU to apply a due diligence system that follows a prescribed method with transparency and information along the supply chain.
How Did the EUDR Come About?
The European Commission’s Stepping Up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests, introduced in July 2019 as part of the EU Green Deal, outlined a plan to improve the health of existing forests and increase sustainable, biodiverse forest coverage worldwide.
Here’s a brief timeline of how the EUDR unfolded:
- May 2003: The European Union adopted the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, which focused on illegal logging and associated trade but it did not address deforestation. The two main components of the FLEGT Action Plan were the EUTR and Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) between the EU and timber-producing countries.
- 2014: New York Declaration on Forests publishes global timeline to slow and end forest lost during the UN Climate Summit 2014.
- November 2021: The European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on deforestation-free products.
- December 2022: The EU agreed on a Regulation for deforestation-free products to guarantee products EU citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.
- June 29, 2023: The European Parliament and Council formally adopted the EUDR.
How May the EUDR Impact Southern Pine Exports?
The Southern Lumber Exporters Association (SLEA) invited Eric Gee, executive director of the Southern Forest Products Association, to speak at their annual meeting in Spanish Fort, AL, in September 2024 regarding the potential impacts of the European Union Deforestation Regulation on Southern Pine exports.
The request resulted from exporters’ growing concerns about how to comply with the EUDR. One of the primary objections to the EUDR is the requirement for lumber shipments into (and within) the EU to include geolocation information – specific polygon coordinates of the timber stand(s) from which the fiber originated so it can be verified the forest was not converted into another land use.
How is SFPA Responding?
- SFPA joined 11 forest products organizations in a second October 2025 letter to the European Commission calling to fully delay and simplify the implementation of the EUDR.
- SFPA joined eight other U.S. forest industry organizations in an October 2025 letter to the European Commission urging it to avoid a rushed process and take the time necessary to pursue simplification with great care.
- SFPA welcomed an announcement in August 2025 from the White House regarding the US–EU Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade.
Keep track of EUDR Updates
New EUDR Proposal Extends Deadline Only for Small Enterprises
The European Commission proposed new EUDR implementation deadlines and compliance measures. Under the updated proposal released October 20, 2025:
- Large and medium-sized enterprises must comply by December 30, 2025, but will receive a six-month grace period for enforcement.
- Micro and small enterprises will have until December 30, 2026.
These adjusted timelines are designed to give companies more time to adapt and to strengthen the EUDR’s IT system, which has seen higher-than-expected projected demand as more global supply chains prepare to file due diligence statements.
Parliament Approves EUDR Delay to December 2025
The European Parliament has voted to delay launching the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to December 30, 2025, from its original effective date of December 30, 2024, Parliament announced Friday, November 14.
The decision to delay, which received nearly 58% of votes in support of the new deadline, came after concerns raised by EU member states, non-EU countries, traders, and operators said they would not be able to fully comply with the rules if applied as planned December 31, 2024. The European Commission proposed postponing the launch date October 2, 2024.