“The European Parliament is paving the way for the implementation of a deforestation regulation that is at least partially practical,” Dr. Erlfried Taurer, Chairman of the Austrian Timber Industry Association, said, commenting on yesterday’s vote in the European Parliament on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). A majority of MEPs voted in favor of amending the EUDR, as was already demanded by the European Council. Taurer explained: “The Council and Parliament are jointly advocating for postponing the coming into force of the EUDR by twelve months. Furthermore, the Council and Parliament are calling for the extremely tedious process of forwarding reference numbers throughout the entire supply chain to be stricken from the Regulation. This will actually reduce the bureaucratic burden of the EUDR for our members without jeopardizing the important goal of countering global deforestation.”
Amending the EUDR in time requires a compromise between the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament (“trilogue”) by mid-December. The trilogue is scheduled to take place on December 4. “Despite the clear stance taken by the Council and Parliament, the legal situation regarding the EUDR remains unclear at the turn of the year,” Taurer criticizes. In fact, there is still no valid law. “This great uncertainty amidst challenging economic times is unacceptable for our member companies. Therefore, I appeal to the Council, Parliament, and Commission to reach an agreement quickly. Our companies need relief, sensible framework conditions, and legal certainty, not political maneuvering.”
EUDR remains a work in progress
Despite potential improvements, the EUDR will bring about additional documentation requirements for millions of forest owners. These new bureaucratic hurdles are unnecessary for countries without any risk of deforestation – such as Austria. The forestry and timber industries will therefore work together to find solutions in order to ensure the continued economic success of the timber value chain. “We will take every opportunity to jointly urge policymakers to implement practical solutions and further simplifications,” Taurer says.
Parliament has requested a review of the simplifications by April 30, 2026, in order to assess the impact of the regulation and the associated administrative burden.
Other associations, such as the German Sawmill Industry Association (DeSH) and Land & Forst Betriebe Österreich, also welcome the positive development and are likewise urging that a decision be made soon.
