EU member states have agreed to delay the application of the EU deforestation regulation by one year and to add a clause allowing the law to be reopened for changes by April 2026, with only Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain voting against the compromise. The deal would also shift full due diligence obligations onto operators placing products on the EU market, while downstream companies would mainly be required to transmit reference numbers, softening responsibilities for later stages of the supply chain.

The text still needs to be finalised between Parliament and Council by 15 December, with Parliament’s lead negotiator initially proposing an even longer delay that is likely to be adjusted to align with the Council’s one year pause. The move reflects ongoing political tensions between easing administrative burdens and maintaining strong anti deforestation safeguards, and it prolongs uncertainty for companies that have already started preparing compliance systems for the original regulation.