3 Oct. 2024: The EU Commission today proposed a postponement of the implementation of the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The pulp and paper sector welcomes the announcement, which offers an occasion to develop a stronger framework to fight deforestation. The European Parliament and EU Council will still need to confirm the delayed phase-in.

The EU Commission has proposed [on Oct. 3] a draft amendment to postpone by a year the implementation of a regulation aiming to limit deforestation linked to commodities, not only imported but also produced and exported from the European Union.

Long-expected guidelines to the implementation of the EUDR have now been published in conjunction with the announcement, but the information system build by the EU to enforce the tracking of materials and commodities remains to be completed. A benchmarking system assessing the risk level by country is also still pending. Based on these delays, the EU pulp and paper sector represented by Cepi (Confederation of European Paper Industries) has been vocal about the need for an adequate transition period for the EUDR.

"The EUDR is too important not to get it right," said Jori Ringman, Director General of Cepi. "We certainly do not ignore the environmental crisis and the climate emergency, which the EUDR is designed to help solve. Nor is our industry a source of deforestation. From a business angle, deforestation is major reputational risk which for any industry; our industry also depends on healthy forests for our own future."

It is not unusual to see transitional implementation periods applied for EU legislation. The predecessor to the EUDR, the EU timber regulation (EUTR) had a 3-year transition period, for a much simpler system. The EUTR remains in place and ensures no wood from illegal sources is placed on the EU market.

EUDR rules state that companies must ensure that their products were not made on areas deforested after 2020. They require passing tracking information along complex value chains, which is particularly challenging when materials are mixed from different sources as is the case for paper. The delay will now allow for a better implementation of the regulation, and stronger impact on deforestation.

Ringman concluded, "We fully support the objectives of the EUDR, and with this new timeline, we believe that the EU and its trade partners now have a much better chance at finally eradicating deforestation."

Cepi is a Brussels-based non-profit organisation representing the European pulp and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations, Cepi gathers 490 companies operating 885 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products.