"We will help our economy to be a global leader by moving first and moving fast" said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in 2019, when unveiling the European Green Deal, whose objectives for sustainable and deforestation-free trade are addressed through the European Union Deforestation Regulation ("EUDR").
The EU indeed moved first, and aims to continue moving fast, even in the face of implementation challenges.
Originally scheduled to take effect on 30 December 2024, the EUDR's application was postponed for 12 months, to 30 December 2025, giving operators extra time to fully prepare. Over the deferral period, operators were expected to develop inventory-tracking systems, building in-house compliance tools or using service providers to connect their product management systems directly with EUDR information systems.
