EU Ambassadors Push for Broader EUDR Enforcement Delay

Resistance to the European Union’s new deforestation regulation (EUDR) is intensifying as a majority of EU ambassadors now back a delay to its enforcement for all companies, not just small operators, Euractiv reported (10-29-25).

The 2023 regulation requires companies selling products including timber in the EU to upload geolocation data proving that their supply chains are free from deforestation. The European Commission recently proposed simplifying the process by reducing the amount of data firms must submit and granting small producers a de facto exemption, allowing them to provide only a postal code instead of full coordinates.

Under the revised plan, only importers would be required to file due diligence statements, while downstream operators would be exempt. The Commission proposed delaying enforcement for small firms and suspending penalties for all companies for six months, but member states say that does not go far enough.

During a meeting on Wednesday, most EU ambassadors argued that the rules should not take effect on December 30 as planned, and that any delay should apply across the board. Some nations are seeking longer deferrals or a “stop-the-clock” pause to allow further changes.

Earlier this week, agriculture ministers from Czechia, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland called for broader delays and for labeling some countries as posing “no risk” of deforestation.

The Danish Presidency is expected to present a compromise next week as the EU races to finalize an agreement before the European Parliament’s last plenary session on December 15.