EUDR

Deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) today. For the past five years, the Commission has demonstrated strong leadership in tackling the EU’s deforestation footprint, notably by adopting the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), a flagship initiative of the European Green Deal. The EUDR has the objective of eliminating deforestation from the supply chains of certain agricultural commodities and derived products placed on the EU market or exported from it, such as beef, coffee, cocoa, and palm oil. The road since the adoption of the EUDR has been turbulent, raising concerns from producers in partner countries as well as in EU member states. As a result, the EUDR’s implementation has been delayed by 12 months and the rules are now expected to kick in on 30 December 2025 (rather than 2024) to allow relevant stakeholders more time to prepare. Through a series of papers, blog posts and podcast episodes, we explore the impact of the EUDR on the EU’s trade relations, focusing on developing countries and least developed countries, and put forward recommendations on how to ensure an adequate and inclusive implementation of the regulation.