On 2 October, the European Commission published a legislative proposal to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by 12 months for large companies and 18 months for micro and small enterprises. Under the original regulation, the EUDR was due to apply from 30 December 2024.
Preventing deforestation is very important to the Finnish forest industry. As a responsible sector we want to meet the requirements of the regulation.
The Finnish Forest Industries Federation supports the Commission’s proposal to postpone the date of application. At the same time, we emphasize it is important that the objective of the EUDR is not weakened.
The additional time is important to finalise the Commission’s information system as well as the risk assessment regarding the EU Member States and third countries. This, together with the guidance recently published by the Commission, will allow companies to finalise their own systems and make the necessary updates throughout their value chain to meet the requirements of the Regulation. This will also minimise disruption to the value chain.
The postponement will also give authorities more time to comply with the requirements without compromising the key objectives of the Regulation.
Market openness and compliance with agreed trade rules are crucial for the export-oriented forest industry. These principles allow EU-manufactured products access to global markets and ensure that international competition is based on common “ground rules”. The additional time to implement the Regulation will help international trade adapt to the new rules at a global level.
We hope that the Council and the European Parliament will adopt the Commission’s proposal.
