• European Commission proposes pushing law’s start to end of 2026

• Regulation targets imports of cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, timber, and beef

• Africa’s producers see delay as chance to strengthen traceability systems

The European Commission (EC) is seeking another one-year delay in enforcing its anti-deforestation law (EUDR), which bans imports of commodities such as cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, timber, and beef sourced from deforested land. The announcement was made on September 23 by European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall.

The law, initially set to take effect in late 2024, had already been pushed back to December 30, 2025, under pressure from trading partners including the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia. At the time, the EC cited insufficient preparation among exporters to meet the new compliance requirements.

This latest request would move enforcement to the end of 2026. Roswall explained the need to prepare the forest-monitoring IT system for the large amount of data expected once the law takes effect. Roswall said the volume of data expected from companies in a short timeframe poses a risk of overload, making extra time necessary to ensure the system can handle it, according to Reuters.

Companies will be required to provide geographic coordinates and satellite images of sourcing areas to prove products are not linked to deforestation.

The proposal must still be approved by EU member states and Parliament. Critics view it as a setback in the bloc’s fight against global deforestation, to which EU consumption contributes about 10%.

For African countries, the delay offers an opportunity to refine national traceability strategies and work with foreign buyers to prepare for the regulation. In a joint declaration signed in Abidjan in September 2024, cocoa-producing nations had asked the EU for an additional two years to comply.