EU Deforestation Regulation: publications and resources

Hub for Deforestation-free Value Chains

Deforestation Regulation implementation: guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions: Implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation [download]

Update

Research into the application of the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 2023/1115 provides insights into the associated opportunities and challenges for a number of countries and sectors. This overview provides links to publications, webinars, and podcasts that report on the implications of the EUDR, and on some of the compliance strategies under development. This list will be updated regularly as new information becomes available.

What is changing?

The expansion of agricultural land to produce certain commodities is one of the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. The European Union aims to ensure that it does not contribute to deforestation, both in the EU and in non-EU countries, by introducing new rules on imports of products that are known to be important causes of deforestation worldwide. These rules target cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya, and wood, and also related products such as chocolate, soybean oil, and cattle meat.

EU companies may only trade and sell these products if they are:

• “deforestation-free”: products must be produced on land where no deforestation has occurred after 31 December 2020, and
• “legal”: products must be produced in accordance with the laws of the country they come from, including laws on environmental protection and labour rights.

The EUDR requires significant adaptations to be made by the supply chains affected, and there is still some uncertainty about the measures they can and should put in place. In recognition of this, stakeholder consultations and studies have been carried out in diverse countries and value chains to better understand the potential implications of the new rules, and the strategies that are being developed to comply.

This summary aims to help interested parties track and access these resources as they become available, and to facilitate access to official sources of information.

EU information and support

In December 2023, the EU and Member States launched a Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-free Value Chains to support non-EU countries in implementing the regulation. This includes the Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project, and a new Technical Assistance Facility.

• SAFE is co-financed by the European Commission and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project aims to support smallholders in the transition to sustainable and deforestation-free value chains, and is currently operational in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Zambia. SAFE also supports a Hub for Deforestation-free Value Chains that provides information to stakeholders to support coordination of action in this domain.
• Technical Assistance Facility: due to be launched in the second half of 2024, this will provide on-demand expertise and technical support based on the needs of partner countries. It is expected to work on areas such as need assessments, geolocation, land-use mapping, and traceability systems.

Further guidance for non-EU countries

The European Commission plans extensive outreach to non-EU country authorities and stakeholders, engagement in multilateral forums, and engagement with sectors. The multi-stakeholder Deforestation Platform (European Commission 2020) aims to facilitate the sharing of good practice and experiences through and across sectors.

The Commission has issued Guidance and a downloadable Frequently Asked Questions document to support operators and traders, particularly SMEs, with the requirements of this new Regulation.

All or multiple agri-food sectors

Cesar de Oliveira, S.E.M. et al. (2024) The European Union and United Kingdom’s deforestation-free supply chains regulations: Implications for Brazil. Ecological Economics, 217: 108053.

IDH (2023) Implementing the European regulation on deforestation-free products: Solutions for the palm oil, cocoa and coffee sectors. Utrecht: IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative).

Motz, M. and Paino, B. (2024) Impact Study of the European Union Regulation on Deforestation Free Products on coffee and cocoa value chains in Peru. Coalición por una Producción Sostenible, and Acuerdo de Cacao, Bosques y Diversidad.

Permatasari, A.P. et al. (2024) Strengthening Indonesia’s readiness to navigate the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation through improved governance and inclusive partnership. Madani Insight, January.

RECOFTC (2024) Potential impacts of the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) on smallholders in Thailand and Indonesia – Case studies on rubber, timber and coffee. Bangkok: Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific.

Søndergaard, N. and Dias De Sá, C. (2023) Brazilian stakeholder Assessment of the European Deforestation Regulation. Agricultural Policy Dialogue Brazil–Germany (APD).

Webinars

EFI (2024) Use of national forest and land-use data in the context of EUDR due diligence, 29 July. Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

Innovation Forum (2024) The EUDR Debate: What’s necessary to make it work effectively?, 24 January. London: Innovation Forum.

Cattle

AL-INVEST Verde (2024) Dialogues on sustainability and traceability of beef and leather value chains in Brazil. AL-INVEST Verde programme.

Coffee

IDH (2023) National Action Plan for Vietnam Coffee Sector to Comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation. Utrecht: IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative).

Melo, J. and Wiegel, J. (2023) Digital Innovations for the coffee value chain in Honduras and Guatemala: A scoping study. CGIAR Publications.

Melo-Velasco, J. et al. (2023) Linkages between EU Deforestation-Free Regulation and traceability tools: An exploration from the Honduran coffee sector. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Social Republic of Vietnam (2023) National Action Plan for Vietnam coffee sector to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation. Utrecht: IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative).

Webinars

ICO (2024) EUDR Coffee Update: News, information, and discussion with the EU, 4 July. London: International Coffee Organization.

Cocoa

EFI (2024a) Preparedness check of Cameroon for the EU Deforestation Regulation. Cocoa Insight, April. Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

EFI (2024b) Preparedness check of Côte d’Ivoire for the EU Deforestation Regulation. Cocoa Insight, March. Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

EFI (2024c) Preparedness check of Ghana for the EU Deforestation Regulation. Cocoa Insight, March. Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

EFI (2024d) The role of spatial information for EUDR due diligence. Cocoa Insight, March. Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

Nitidae and EFI (2021) Traceability and transparency of cocoa supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Lyon: Nitidae and Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

Renier, C. et al. (2023) Transparency, traceability and deforestation in the Ivorian cocoa supply chain. Environmental Research Letters, 18: 024030.

Tankam, C. and Lescuyer, G. (2024) A comparative analysis of the prospective impacts of the EU’s Deforestation Regulation on cocoa and timber supply chains in Cameroon. Montpellier: CIRAD Forests and Societies.

Webinars

CBI (2024) EU Deforestation Regulation EUDR in the cocoa sector, 13 June. The Hague: Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries.

INA (2023) INA Lunchbreak: Establishment of a national cocoa traceability system using the example of Ghana, 1 December. Germany: Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains.

Palm oil

Chandra, A. et al. (2024) How well does the implementation of corporate zero-deforestation commitments in Indonesia align with aims to halt deforestation and include smallholders? Environmental Research Letters, 19: 044054.

EFI (2024) The feasibility of establishing district-level registries of palm oil producers in Indonesia. European Forest Institute, KAMI project (Sustainability of Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil).

EFI (2024) Strengthening sustainable oil palm plantation governance through the Revenue-Sharing Fund for Oil Palm Plantations (DBH Sawit). European Forest Institute, KAMI project (Sustainability of Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil).

ISPO and EFI (2024) Joint gap assessment of the EUDR information needs and information availability from the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification. Jakarta: Indonesian Palm Oil Association and Barcelona: European Forest Institute.

Linares, F. (2024) Deforestation-free palm oil in Honduras: Challenges, needs, and opportunities. In: Waisundara, V.Y. (ed.) Elaeis guineensis – New Insights. London: IntechOpen.

Muthu, U.K., Unnithan, U.R. and Santhanam, P. (2023) Technology as an enabler for smallholder inclusion and European Union Deforestation Free Regulation (EUDR). In: 8th International Case Study Conference, 30 August–1 September 2023, Bandar Melaka, Malaysia.

Nadras, S. et al. (2024) The European Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR): Assessing impacts and strategies for Malaysian and the global oil palm industry. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 19(6): 54–74.

Podcasts

Innovation Forum (2024) What EUDR means for the palm oil sector, 28 March. London: Innovation Forum.

Soy

Lopes, C.L., Chiavari, J. and Segovia, M.E. (2023) Brazilian Environmental Policies and the New European Union Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products: Opportunities and Challenges. Rio de Janeiro: Climate Policy Initiative.

Timeline

Publications and resources to September 2024.

Sources