Already postponed for one year by a Regulation published at the end of 2024, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, known as the “Deforestation-Free” Regulation, could once again see its terms and deadlines for implementation modified and softened. The European Commission has just made a proposal to this effect.
Regulation (EE) 2023/1115 “on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation” was published on 9 June 2023.
Initially, its effective date was set for December 30, 2024, for large companies, and June 30, 2025, for micro and small businesses.
On proposal from the Commission, Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 has already postponed its implementation by one year, to December 30, 2025 for large companies, and June 30, 2026 for micro and small companies.
The Commission’s new proposal
And in a press release dated October 21, the Commission now states that it is proposing “targeted measures to ensure the timely implementation of EU Deforestation Regulation.”
In concrete terms, this involves:
• reducing obligations for operators and traders downstream in value chains, with due diligence now only applying to the operator at the point of entry into the market;
• exempting micro and small primary operators from due diligence reporting, provided that the information is available in the IT system;
• providing for “transitional periods” in order, according to the Commission, “guarantee a smooth transition and strengthen the IT system,” which would bring …
