The European Commission has announced a one-year extension to allow industries to prepare for the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Under this regulation, all raw materials and their derived products that want to enter the European market must have a traceability certificate that they were not produced in fields that suffered deforestation. This, for now, includes leather and its products. Report by Leatherbiz and CueroAmérica.

As reported, companies in the affected sectors, including leather and fur, will now have an additional 12 months to complete their preparations for compliance. The EUDR will enter into force for larger companies on 30 December 2025 and for smaller companies on 30 June 2026.

This measure is subject to approval by the European Parliament and the Council. The Council is part of the EU executive, which is normally made up of the heads of government of the 27 Member States. The Commission aims to obtain this approval before the end of 2024.

In a statement on October 2, the European Commission said: “Taking into account the feedback received from international partners, the Commission proposes to give stakeholders more time to prepare. The additional 12 months can serve as a phased-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation.”

“Several global partners have repeatedly expressed concerns about the state of readiness, most recently during the UN General Assembly week in New York [in late September]. Moreover, the state of preparations among stakeholders in Europe is also uneven,” he added.