The European Union’s Council has formally signed off on a targeted revision to simplify and postpone the application of its deforestation regulation, concluding a process that unfolded over recent months among member states, the European Parliament and the Commission. The measure recalibrates the EU regulation on deforestation free products, also known as the EUDR, and moves the deadline for its application by one year to 30 December 2026 for most operators, with a further extension to mid 2027 for smaller businesses. The revision was adopted to adjust the regulatory framework originally agreed in 2023, with the objective of easing the administrative burden associated with due diligence requirements and allowing more time for authorities, operators and traders to prepare for compliance. Council documents emphasise changes to streamline due diligence obligations and to remove low risk printed products from the scope of the law, measures aimed at responding to concerns about readiness and the capacity of IT systems needed for enforcement. The targeted revision emerged after lengthy negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament, which provisionally agreed on simplification and postponement terms earlier in December. In the provisional deal, the co legislators agreed that only the first operator placing a product on the market would bear responsibility for due diligence statements, and that micro and small primary operators would have simplified declaration options. Under the adopted text, the scope of products covered by the regulation has been narrowed slightly by removing certain printed items that were assessed as posing minimal deforestation risk, including books and newspapers. This change forms part of a broader package intended to reduce administrative hurdles for smaller businesses and align implementation capacity across the bloc. The postponement applies uniformly to all operators until late 2026, with an additional six month grace period for micro and small operators, giving them until 30 June 2027 before compliance obligations take effect. The adjustment builds on an earlier one year delay agreed in late 2024, which had already shifted the original deadline from 2024 to the end of 2025. The Council’s adoption follows a vote in the European Parliament where lawmakers approved targeted changes to the regulation already informally agreed with member states. That vote consolidated political support for revised timelines and simplified traceability and due diligence requirements, paving the way for the Council’s final approval. As part of the revision, the European Commission is required to carry out a review of the simplification measures and publish a report by April 2026. The report is intended to assess the impact of the law and its administrative burden on operators, particularly smaller firms, and may be accompanied by further legislative proposals if deemed necessary. Once formally adopted, the revised regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force three days later. This step brings the legislative process for the current revision to a close and sets the framework for implementation in 2026 and beyond. The deforestation regulation was originally designed to ensure that certain commodities and derived products placed on the EU market, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. Since its entry into force in June 2023, the law has been a central pillar of the EU’s wider efforts to promote sustainable supply chains and environmental protection. Council material and external reporting have consistently highlighted implementation challenges, particularly the complexity of establishing digital due diligence systems and the scale of administrative demands on companies of different sizes. Those issues were repeatedly cited by member states as justification for postponement and simplification. The decision by the Council and Parliament to revise and delay the regulation has been closely watched by industry groups, given its implications for global trade and supply chains. The extended timeline offers additional breathing space for companies and authorities to adapt, while leaving the core environmental objectives of the regulation intact....