As a French coalition of companies committed to sustainable supply chains, APF regrets the European Commission’s proposal to postpone by one year the entry into application of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
We have always supported ambitious European legislation—an essential framework to establish a level playing field, enable companies to act effectively on environmental and social challenges within their value chains, and build resilient, sustainable, and transparent supply chains. From an economic perspective, it is also necessary to ensure the long-term competitiveness of European economies.
The adoption of the EUDR therefore represented a major step forward. However, the recent proposals for simplification and postponement create legal uncertainty, send contradictory signals about the EU’s role and priorities, and jeopardize the investments already made by our companies to prepare for compliance and to work alongside producers and smallholders, both in Europe and in third countries.
The support of the European Commission remains essential to ensure successful implementation. Any reopening of the regulation would endanger its objectives and the efforts already undertaken by the sector as a whole. This is why APF has joined other companies in calling on the European institutions to preserve the integrity of the regulation and to avoid delays that could undermine environmental objectives and legal certainty.
Our immediate concern is that this postponement must not mark the beginning of a weakening or gradual dismantling of the EUDR. Continued speculation about possible extensions undermines business confidence and makes long-term planning impossible. We therefore call on the European institutions to guarantee that this regulation will indeed enter into application on 31 December 2025, as adopted, without further delay.
We are ready to comply and to lead by example. What we need is regulatory certainty, not successive delays and uncertainty.