EU GIVES BUSINESSES MORE TIME ON DEFORESTATION RULES
On 18 December 2025, the Council of the EU formally adopted a targeted revision of the rules, confirming a
further postponement and limited simplification measures.
Under the revised timeline, the Regulation will apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large companies, while micro and small enterprises will have until 30 June 2027 to comply. This postponement provides companies with an additional year to finalise their due-diligence systems and supply-chain compliance processes. The revision also removes certain printed products, such as books and newspapers, from the scope of the regulation reflecting their limited deforestation risk and reducing unnecessary administrative burden.
The revised rules require the European Commission to review
the regulation by April 2026, with a focus on administrative burden,
particularly for smaller businesses. Further simplifications may follow as a
result of this review. Businesses are
therefore encouraged to continue their preparation work, while making use of
the additional time now confirmed at political level.