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for Cooperation and Engagement (SFCE). “The goal of these simplifications for due diligence
After being pushed back a year, the EUDR will come into statements is to ensure easy and efficient data entry for all
force at the end of 2025 and six months later for small to users,” states the EC.
medium sized businesses. It requires evidence that importers and Under the EU SFCE, says the EC, it has ‘strengthened

traders have undertaken due diligence to ensure commodities dialogue with third party countries, businesses, civil society
placed on the EU market are not implicated in deforestation and global partners to facilitate [EUDR] implementation and
or forest degradation. support preparation through dedicated meetings and online
They must also provide geolocation coordinates for their training’.
origin. Besides timber and wood products, the EUDR covers In 2024, the EC ran 300 meetings on the EUDR with
cocoa, coffee, soya, palm oil, rubber and cattle/beef. stakeholders, with 50 training webinars produced for the IT
In making further compliance changes the EC says it system with places for 15,500 participants, plus videos in
is responding to ‘feedback from international partners’ and 50 languages.
‘delivering on commitments’ made in December 2024 when The SFCE objectives include facilitating multi-stakeholder

the EUDR’s introduction was delayed 12 months. dialogue and cooperation on policies and actions to halt
It also pledged further steps to facilitate compliance deforestation and forest degradation. That includes ‘conservation
including new guidance and frequently asked questions (FAQ) and sustainable use of forests as well as sustainable land use,
documents, both of which became available on 15 April. commodity production, processing, consumption and trade’.
The changes in compliance requirements were made public The SFCE also aims to support EUDR- impacted third
the same day. The key changes are: countries in securing economic incentives for preserving forests
• That large companies can reuse existing due diligence and investment in deforestation-free, legal and sustainable

statements where goods previously on the EU market supply chains.
are reimported, so less information has to be submitted Additionally, it will help producer countries transition to
to the EUDR IT system. the latter, especially those with ‘weaker capacity and high
• That authorised representatives can now submit due deforestation exposure’.
diligence statements on behalf of members of company It is also engaging with other consumer countries to
groups. encourage adoption of measures to cut their contribution to
• That companies can now submit due diligence statements deforestation.
annually, instead of with every shipment or batch of goods. The EC has also increased the budget of its Team Europe
• That the minimal legal obligation on companies under Initiative to support partner countries moving to sustainable,

the EUDR for ‘ascertaining that due diligence has been deforestation-free and legal supply chains to €86 million.
carried out’ is that they collect due diligence statement It adds that it is finalising the EUDR country benchmarking,
(DDS) reference numbers from suppliers, which they can which will rank countries as low, standard or high risk of
then use in their own DDS submissions. deforestation and that this will be adopted no later than 30 June.
It says that, following latest changes, it will continue to
The EC says these amendments accord with ‘key industry respond to feedback on the EUDR from stakeholders, including
demands’ and, in reducing the number of due diligence partner countries, and to ‘assist traders and operators with

statements companies need to file, will result in an estimated implementation on the ground’. FDM
30 percent reduction in their administrative costs. ENQUIRY NO. 3101