The European Parliament today adopted in plenary its position on the proposal to simplify the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and postpone its entry into application. This vote represents a key milestone in the co-decision process, following the Council’s adoption of its mandate. It reflects a shared commitment to securing an agreement by the end of the year to avoid legal uncertainty and prevent further market disturbances. Time is now of essence.
The Parliament’s endorsement of the Council’s approach is a move in the right direction as it introduces additional meaningful simplification to the Commission proposal The one-year delay of the entry into application provides a much-needed breathing space for operators and traders across the supply chain to prepare. Importantly, this postponement is accompanied by a request for a simplification review that will allow the EU institutions to continue addressing implementation challenges and to define additional, effective simplification measures.
We appreciate that further improvements have been made to the Commission’s proposed simplifications for micro and small primary operators to ensure proportionality and feasibility across the supply chain, aligning with the Council’s position. It is now crucial that the system or database that exists under Union or Member States legislation, other than the information system; will be fully used to make sure that micro and small operators should not be required to submit the simplified declaration (Member States shall complement their national systems such as the animal identification and registration systems (Regulation (EU) 2016/429) with functionalities linking them to information).
We reiterate our commitment to continue collaborating with EU institutions and Member States to streamline requirements, reduce red tape and provide much needed simplification for agriculture and forestry sector. Once an agreement is reached, it will be essential for the Commission and Member States to work closely with all relevant stakeholders to prepare for its implementation. This will be key to resolving the remaining technical and practical issues and ensuring that the Regulation delivers on its promises without compromising the viability of Europe’s farmers, forest owners and their cooperatives.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
