Proposed EUDR delay should not deter early adoption of AHA Platform

The announcement was made during the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels at which Commissioner Roswall confirmed she would be discussing the EUDR with EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers. In the letter sent to the co-legislators, the Commissioner said the delay was due to issues with the performance of the EUDR’s Information System, particularly its ability to handle the projected volume of interactions from economic operators.

Following the letter, the Commissioner will engage with both the Council and the European Parliament to determine the next steps. While she emphasized that the Commission’s current focus is on a one-year delay, additional simplifications or adjustments to the regulation may also be discussed. Commissioner Roswall said in a statement to the press that it is still too early to confirm whether changes might be considered in the proposal.

While the Commission is actively considering a one-year postponement, no formal legislative proposal has yet been submitted. As a result, EUDR obligations are still set to apply from 30 December 2025. No formal timeline has been set, but this potential delay could mirror the initial deferral granted last year, which was fast-tracked after the Commission published its amendment proposal in October and was adopted and published in the Official Journal on 23 December 2024, just four days before the regulation was originally set to apply.

Irrespective of whether a new proposal is officially tabled or adopted, U.S. hardwood exporters are encouraged to ensure AHA Statements are offered with all their consignments. If the delay is confirmed, it presents the U.S. hardwood sector with an opportunity to demonstrate a working model that meets EUDR objectives and which, through the county-based approach, allows useful geolocation data to be gathered without addition of significant cost, and promises to greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of EUDR by easing both the data management challenges and political opposition to the regulation.

The more companies using the AHA Platform, the more convincing will be these positive messages and the greater likelihood of our being able to push through substantive changes to the EUDR legal text and guidelines, including formal recognition of AHA’s county approach, before the law is enforced and to influence the policy debate in the wider global market.