EU Parliament paves the way for realistic implementation of the EUDR
“The European Parliament is paving the way for the Deforestation Regulation to be implemented in at least a rudimentary form,” said Dr. Erlfried Taurer, Chairman of the Austrian Timber Industry Association, commenting on today's vote in the European Parliament on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The majority of MEPs voted in favor of amending the EUDR, as already requested by the European Council.
Taurer explains: “The Council and Parliament are jointly in favor of postponing the application of the EUDR by twelve months. In addition, the Council and Parliament are calling for the extremely time-consuming forwarding of reference numbers throughout the supply chain to be dispensed with. This will effectively reduce the bureaucratic burden of the EUDR for our members without jeopardizing the important goal of combating global deforestation.”
Creating legal certainty quickly
In order to amend the EUDR in time, a compromise between the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament (“trilogue”) is necessary by mid-December. “Despite the clear position of the Council and Parliament, the legal situation regarding the EUDR at the turn of the year is unclear,” criticizes Taurer, continuing: “This great uncertainty in the midst of difficult economic times is unacceptable for our member companies. I therefore call on the Council, Parliament, and Commission to reach an agreement quickly. Our companies need relief, sensible framework conditions, and legal certainty instead of political maneuvering.”
EUDR remains a work in progress
Despite the potential improvements, the EUDR will introduce additional documentation requirements for millions of forest owners. These new bureaucratic hurdles are unnecessary for countries without deforestation risks, such as Austria. The forestry and timber industries will therefore work together to find solutions that will enable the timber value chain to continue its economic success.
Background: EUDR – bureaucracy without benefit
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires companies to prove that there is no risk of deforestation at every stage of processing wood and wood products – from raw material to finished product. The EUDR affects not only imports, but also manufacturing, trade, and exports within the EU. Companies must continuously prove their compliance. In practice, this leads to an unworkable bureaucratic burden.
Source: https://www.wko.at/oe/oesterreich/eu-parlament-macht-weg-frei-fuer-realistische-umsetzung-eudr