Industry groups call for EUDR simplification in 2025 agenda
A coalition of 16 European industry associations, including leather industry body COTANCE, has urged the European Commission to include the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in its 2025 simplification agenda.
In a joint statement, the signatories, representing sectors from livestock and leather to wood, feed and bioenergy, said the regulation, in its current form, is unworkable and risks creating disproportionate burdens, legal uncertainty, and trade disruption.
The group welcomed the December 2024 decision to delay EUDR implementation but warned that guidance and FAQs issued so far have failed to resolve key concerns. They are now calling for formal amendments to the regulation to ensure a more targeted, risk-based, and practical approach.
COTANCE reiterated its view that by-products with negligible impact on deforestation should be excluded from the regulation’s scope. It also backed the introduction of a “negligible-risk country” classification to reduce traceability obligations and supported due diligence requirements only for the first operators placing products on the EU market.
The signatories said they remain committed to engaging with the Commission to ensure the EUDR achieves its environmental aims without undermining responsible supply chains.
