Germany has forwarded its proposals to the European Commission for simplifying the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in order to make the rules more practical and avoid excessive economic burden. The federal Ministry of Agriculture announced the submissions on Monday, noting that earlier efforts at the end of last year had secured relief for farmers and forest owners and largely exempted large parts of the downstream supply chain from the regulation’s obligations. The ministry emphasised the need to preserve and further develop these simplifications in practice.
In its original form, the EUDR would present a substantial burden for many German primary producers and companies, according to the ministry. Germany has therefore pushed for concessions that were achieved through a compromise proposal. The implementation of the EUDR has been delayed, and EU states have requested that the Commission present additional de‑bureaucratization measures by the end of April. While Germany supports the regulation’s goal of zero‑deforestation products, it stresses the necessity of aligning global forest protection with competitiveness.
The proposals from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water (BMLEH) include regional collective reporting for small primary producers, tightened proof obligations for imports from low‑risk countries, and a limitation of legality documentation to EUDR‑relevant requirements. They also call for a central Commission responsibility to ensure uniform application, a reduction in the workload of national control authorities, and a practical interpretation of the simplified measures.