On 29 June 2023, the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) entered into force. The main driver of deforestation is the expansion of agricultural land linked to the production of commodities like cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products, such as leather, chocolate, tyres, or furniture. As a major economy and consumer of these commodities linked to deforestation and forest degradation, the EU is partly responsible for this problem and it wants to lead the way to solving it.

Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who places these commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation.

The Regulation on deforestation-free products repeals the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). For timber products produced before the entry into force of the EUDR on 29 June 2023, the EUTR will continue applying until 31 December 2027. For other products and timber products produced after entry into force of the EUDR, the EUTR will be repealed when the EUDR enters into application.

In December 2024, the European Union granted a 12-month additional phasing-in period, making the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large and medium companies and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.