EUDR Delayed to 2026/2027: New Timeline, Simplification & What Companies Must Do
The European Union has just made major changes to the EUDR (the regulation that fights deforestation-linked products). After months of debate, both the EU Parliament and the Council now agree on a one-year delay and several practical simplifications.
The EU Parliament has voted its position on the Commission’s recent proposal. The EP’s position includes a one-year delay and simplifications. The delay is now quite certain to happen, as this aligns with the Council.
The New Timeline – When does the EUDR start?
| Who is affected? | Original deadline | NEW deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Medium and large companies | 30 Dec 2025 | 30 Dec 2026 |
| Micro and small companies | 30 Jun 2026 | 30 Jun 2027 |
The old regulation (EUTR) will remain applicable for an additional year
Products placed on the EU market before 30 December 2026 are considered “old stock” and not in the scope of the EUDR.
Products from micro or small companies are fully exempt until 30 June 2027, even if purchased/used by medium or large companies uses them in early June 2027.
Major Simplifications
The Parliament and Council will also negotiate simplification measures:
Due Diligence Statement (DDS)
Only the first company (the upstream operator) that puts the product on the EU market for the first time will need to submit a DDS. The upstream operator will also need to keep the DDS reference number and pass it on to the first downstream operator.
Only the first downstream operator will need to keep the DDS reference number they have received but are not obliged to pass it further down the supply chain.
Micro and small primary operators only have to submit a one-time simplified declaration per year with estimated annual volumes.
Geolocations
Micro and small primary operators can now give postal addresses instead of geolocations (exact GPS coordinates).
New category “micro and small primary operators”
The Parliament proposed to extend the definition of micro and small primary operators to include "operators who exceed the limits of at least two of the three criteria set out in Article 3(1) and (2), first subparagraph, of Directive 2013/34/EU but who can demonstrate that the parts of their balance sheet total, net turnover and average number of employees during the financial year which relate to their activities covered by this Regulation do not exceed the limits of at least two of three of those criteria."
New simplification review 2026
The European Commission must look again at the rules and propose another simplification review by 30 April 2026.
Exemption for printed products
Parliament voted to completely exclude chapter 49 products (printed books, newspapers, magazines, etc.). This still needs Council approval during final negotiations, so it’s not 100% certain yet.
What Should Companies Do Now?
Don’t stop your EUDR work. Many companies have already built traceability systems, trained suppliers, and mapped risks. Keep going and finish the job properly.
Start now:
Check how the new rules and timeline affect your specific products and supply chain.
Update your due diligence framework if needed.
Use the extra 12 months to get fully ready – the regulation is still coming.
QIMA has been working with companies in the past years with supply-chain mapping, traceability solutions, risk assessments, and EUDR training. If you’d like support to turn this extra time into a real advantage, just let us know – we’re here to help.
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