EUDR Delay: Every Postponement, Who Decided It and the Dates Now in Force

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been postponed twice, by Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 and Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, 12 months each time, so its obligations now apply from 30 December 2026 instead of 30 December 2024. Is another delay coming, and which dates are still valid?

Both acts amended Article 38 of the EU Deforestation Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, after proposals by the Commission and votes in the European Parliament and the Council. Two other proposals, a six-month grace period and a "no risk" country category, never became law.

The rules below cover the current status, both postponements with their procedures and votes, and the dates now in force. The status on 24 October 2026 is summarised below.

In force:

• 30 December 2026: main application date (Article 38(2)).
• 30 June 2027: operators that are natural persons or micro or small undertakings established as such by 31 December 2024 (Article 38(3)); products in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 from 30 December 2026.
• EU Timber Regulation repealed with effect from 30 December 2026 (Article 37).
• Article 38: no amending proposal pending.

No longer valid:

• Six-month enforcement grace period: proposed in COM(2025) 652, never adopted.
• "No risk" country category: proposed by Parliament on 14 November 2024, never adopted.
• 30 December 2025 and 30 June 2026: set by Regulation (EU) 2024/3234, never applied.
• Establishment by 31 December 2020 as the deferral condition: replaced by 31 December 2024.

Is the EUDR Delayed Again? Latest Status and News on 24 October 2026

No: as of 24 October 2026, no proposal to postpone the EUDR again exists, and the main obligations apply from 30 December 2026 (Article 38(2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650). Articles 16 to 24 on checks and enforcement apply from the same day.

Since the second postponement entered into force on 26 December 2025, the EUDR news has concerned the Commission review of 4 May 2026, Guidance C/2026/3896 (Official Journal C, 20 July 2026) and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102; none of them moves Article 38. Dated changes appear under EUDR news.

What the Commission's Review COM(2026) 191 Concluded

The Commission's simplification review COM(2026) 191 of 4 May 2026 concluded that the Commission "does not consider it appropriate to propose further amendments to the basic legal text". The report answers Article 34(1a), inserted by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, which set a deadline of 30 April 2026.

Which requests did the review turn down? It records three stakeholder requests without adopting them: a "zero-risk" country category, "green lanes" for certified products and a de minimis rule. The EUDR was "not included in the scope of the omnibus" (COM(2026) 191), and "stop the clock" is press language, not an EUDR term.

Is 30 December 2027 a New Delay? The Annex I Additions

No: 30 December 2027 is the start date for the 18 Annex I entries added by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102, not a postponement of existing obligations. The act, adopted on 13 July 2026 and in force since 18 September 2026, adds frozen cattle tongues (ex 0206 21 00), soluble coffee (2101 11 00) and 16 oil-palm lines, including palm soap. The added CN lines are listed in EUDR Annex I.

A separate change, excluding French Guiana from the territorial scope, is only proposed (COM(2026) 661 of 10 September 2026, procedure 2026/0261(CNS), preparatory phase in Parliament).

How Many Times Has the EUDR Been Postponed?

Twice: Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 moved the application dates by 12 months to 30 December 2025, and Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 moved them by another 12 months to 30 December 2026. Each act also moved the dates linked to Article 38, such as the repeal of the EU Timber Regulation in Article 37; the second also moved the customs interface (Article 28(1)) and the general review (Article 34(2)).

The three versions of each affected date are compared below.

Dates in the first two columns never applied, except the Article 29(2) deadline, met on 22 May 2025.

Who Decides an EUDR Delay? Commission, Parliament and Council

The Commission proposes an EUDR delay, and the European Parliament and the Council adopt it as co-legislators, as in procedures 2024/0249(COD) and 2025/0329(COD). Both postponements took the form of a regulation of Parliament and Council amending Article 38; the Commission's delegated power under Article 34(1) covers the Annex I CN codes, the route used for Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102.

Both files followed the same fast track. The urgent procedure was requested in Parliament (21 October 2024; 5 November 2025), the plenary voted amendments and referred the file back for negotiations, and a provisional agreement with the Council (3 December 2024; 4 December 2025) then passed a final vote and Council adoption. Christine Schneider (EPP) of the ENVI committee was rapporteur on both files. Each act was signed by R. Metsola for Parliament and by the Council President (Bóka J. in 2024, M. Bjerre in 2025), and entered into force as a matter of urgency on the third day after publication, 26 December.

The First Postponement: Regulation (EU) 2024/3234

Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 is the first EUDR postponement: it moved the Article 38 dates by 12 months and has been in force since 26 December 2024 (CELEX 32024R3234; OJ L, 2024/3234, 23.12.2024). Its title, "as regards provisions relating to the date of application", matches its content: it changed dates only, not Annex I.

The Article 29(2) deadline for the country list moved by "only 6 months" (recital 8), from 30 December 2024 to 30 June 2025. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 of 22 May 2025, in force since 26 May 2025, met it. Every other date the act set was replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 before it applied.

Procedure 2024/0249(COD): From Proposal to Official Journal

Procedure 2024/0249(COD) took the first postponement from the Commission proposal COM(2024) 452 of 2 October 2024 to the Official Journal on 23 December 2024. The proposal asked for a 12-month postponement of the Article 38(2) and (3) dates and the dates linked to them. On 14 November 2024 Parliament adopted amendments by 371 votes to 240, with 30 abstentions, and referred the file back for negotiations; the final vote of 17 December 2024 (T10-0058/2024) approved the text agreed with the Council. The events recorded in the Legislative Observatory are listed below.

The "No Risk" Amendment and the Three-Tier Country List

No "no risk" country category exists: Parliament proposed one in its amendments of 14 November 2024, and Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 did not adopt it. The amendments (P10_TA(2024)0031, OJ C, C/2025/810, 11.2.2025) would have inserted Articles 3(1a), 4(10a) and 5(1a), under which products from countries "that present no risk" would only need to meet legality and documentation requirements.

Article 29(1) still sets three tiers, low, standard and high risk, unchanged as of 24 October 2026. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 classifies 140 countries as low risk and 4 as high risk (Belarus, North Korea, Myanmar, Russia); every other country is standard risk. Each class is in the country list.

The Second Postponement: Regulation (EU) 2025/2650

Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 is the second EUDR postponement: it moved the main application date by a further 12 months to 30 December 2026 and has been in force since 26 December 2025 (CELEX 32025R2650; OJ L, 2025/2650, 23.12.2025). Its title, "as regards certain obligations of operators and traders", shows a wider reach than the first act. What else Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 changed is set out separately. For the deferral, it moved the establishment date from 31 December 2020 to 31 December 2024 and added natural persons, irrespective of legal form.

COM(2025) 652: What the Commission Proposed on 21 October 2025

On 21 October 2025 the Commission proposed in COM(2025) 652 to keep 30 December 2025 as the application date for large and medium operators. Only operators that are micro or small undertakings established as such by 31 December 2024, and micro or small primary operators, would have moved to 30 December 2026.

How would the larger operators have been treated? The proposal paired their unchanged date with a six-month enforcement grace period, set out in the next section. Parliament and the Council kept neither element: in procedure 2025/0329(COD) they replaced the split structure with one postponement for all operators.

The Six-Month Grace Period That Was Never Adopted

No grace period exists: the six-month enforcement grace period proposed in COM(2025) 652 was never adopted. The proposal would have applied Articles 16 to 19, 22 and 24 from 30 June 2026 (30 December 2026 for micro or small operators), with warnings and recommendations before that date (proposed Article 38(5), recitals 14 and 15). Large and medium operators would have carried obligations from 30 December 2025 without full checks for six months.

Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 adopted a flat 12-month postponement of every Article 38 date instead, moving all Article 38(2) articles, including Articles 16 to 24, to 30 December 2026. The co-legislators also added the simplification review of Article 34(1a) and deleted the printed products line ex 49 from Annex I. Checks start on the same day as the obligations they check.

Procedure 2025/0329(COD): From Proposal to Official Journal

Procedure 2025/0329(COD) took the second postponement from COM(2025) 652 of 21 October 2025 to the Official Journal on 23 December 2025. Parliament voted twice: amendments on 26 November 2025 by 402 votes to 250, with 8 abstentions (T10-0295/2025), and the agreed text on 17 December 2025 by 405 votes to 242, with 8 abstentions (T10-0331/2025). The Council fixed its mandate on 19 November 2025 and adopted the act on 18 December 2025. The events are listed below.

Which EUDR Dates Are Now in Force After Both Postponements?

Articles 3 to 13, 16 to 24, 26, 31 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 apply from 30 December 2026 (Article 38(2) as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650); every other article has applied since entry into force on 29 June 2023. The deferred date of 30 June 2027 covers operators that are natural persons or micro or small undertakings established as such by 31 December 2024 (Article 38(3)); products in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 from 30 December 2026.

An undertaking is micro if it does not exceed at least two of three limits: balance sheet EUR 450,000, net turnover EUR 900,000, average employees 10; small: EUR 5 million, EUR 10 million, 50 (Directive 2013/34/EU as amended by Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/2775, values on 31 December 2024). Article 38(3) names operators, and Article 2(15) excludes downstream operators from that term.

How long is the transition? It runs 42 months from entry into force to 30 December 2026 and 48 months to the deferred date (FAQ Version 5 (April 2026), 8.1). Each EUDR date in force is listed with its instrument on the timeline.

Did the Postponements Move the 31 December 2020 Cut-Off Date?

No: the deforestation cut-off date stays 31 December 2020 (Article 2(13) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115). Regulations (EU) 2024/3234 and 2025/2650 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 left it unchanged; the date moved in 2025 is the establishment date of the Article 38(3) deferral, not the cut-off.

Every date on this page is checked against the consolidated text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 and the amending acts in the Official Journal; see our methodology and fact-checking. Status checked on 24 October 2026.

This guide explains the rules; it is not legal advice for an individual case.

How Does the EUDR Delay Connect to the Timeline, Simplification and Enforcement?

The EUDR delay is the history of how the dates changed, while the timeline holds the schedule, simplification the content changes and enforcement the checks. The delay is one chapter of this independent EUDR guide.

Three amending acts have changed Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 since 2023; two of them are postponements.

The schedule now in force is the EUDR timeline.

Did the Postponements Bring EUDR Simplification Too?

Yes: Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 changed obligations as well as dates, including the duties of downstream operators and traders and a simplified declaration for micro or small primary operators (Article 4a). The content changes are under EUDR simplification.

Who Checks Compliance From 30 December 2026? EUDR Enforcement

National competent authorities check compliance from 30 December 2026, when Articles 16 to 24 on checks and enforcement apply (Article 38(2)). Authorities and checks are covered under EUDR enforcement.

How Did the Postponements Move the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) Repeal?

Each postponement moved the repeal of the EU Timber Regulation by 12 months, from 30 December 2024 to 30 December 2025 and then to 30 December 2026 (Article 37). The transition rules of the EU Timber Regulation run to 2029.

EUDR Delay FAQ

Five further questions on the EUDR delay concern entry into force, national delay, existing stock, system access and the amended text. More answers are in the EUDR FAQ.

Is the EUDR Already in Force?

Yes: Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 entered into force on 29 June 2023 (Article 38(1)), the twentieth day after its publication in OJ L 150 of 9 June 2023. Entry into force and application differ: the postponements moved only application dates, so 29 June 2023 has never changed.

Can a Member State Delay the EUDR Nationally?

No: the EUDR is a regulation, binding in its entirety and directly applicable, with no transposition deadline; national law only designates competent authorities (Article 14) and lays down penalties (Article 25). Germany, for example, has no EUDR implementing law in force as of 24 October 2026, only government bill BT-Drs. 21/8278 of 30 September 2026.

Are Products Placed Before 30 December 2026 Covered?

No due diligence statement is needed: the Commission considers products placed on the market before application to be transitional stock, provided evidence of the earlier placing is kept (FAQ 9.1 to 9.2, non-binding under Article 15(5)). Rules for products placed before 30 December 2026 are explained separately.

Is the EUDR Information System Open Before 30 December 2026?

Yes: the EUDR Information System reopened at the end of June 2026 after a temporary closure (Commission, 13 July 2026). Registration first opened on 6 November 2024 (COM(2026) 191). Access is explained under EUDR Information System.

Where Can I Read the Amended Text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115?

The amended text is the consolidated version 02023R1115-20260918 on EUR-Lex, which includes Regulations (EU) 2024/3234 and 2025/2650 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102. Each article of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 is explained there.