On October 1, 2024, the European Commission proposed a one-year delay in the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), aimed at curbing deforestation linked to commodities.
This postponement, welcomed by the pulp and paper sector represented by Cepi, provides an opportunity to develop a more robust framework for addressing deforestation. The European Parliament and the EU Council will need to approve this extension.
The EUDR, which affects both imported and EU-produced commodities, requires companies to ensure that their products are not sourced from areas deforested after 2020. This entails complex tracking systems along the value chains, which is particularly challenging for industries like paper, where materials are often mixed from various sources. Cepi has been vocal about the need for a suitable transition period to allow for better implementation.
Jori Ringman, Director General of Cepi, emphasized the importance of getting the regulation right: “The EUDR is too important not to get it right. While we support its objectives, the additional time will give the EU and its trade partners a better chance to finally eradicate deforestation.”
The delay will also allow the EU to finalize key elements of the regulation, such as the information system for tracking commodities and the country benchmarking system for assessing deforestation risks. These tools are crucial for enforcing compliance and ensuring the regulation's success.
This isn't the first time the EU has applied transitional periods for environmental legislation. The predecessor to the EUDR, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), had a three-year transition period, despite being a simpler system. The EUTR, which remains in place, ensures that no illegal timber enters the EU market.
The new EUDR timeline offers a chance for a more effective implementation of the regulation, which aims to have a meaningful impact on global deforestation. For the pulp and paper industry, whose future relies on sustainable forests, this delay is seen as a positive step toward long-term environmental and business sustainability.