The nine largest timber industry organizations in Central and Eastern Europe have issued a statement expressing their collective opinion on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Among the signatories is the Polish Chamber of Commerce of the Timber Industry.
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The statement includes the following points:
-The content of the EUDR needs a complete revision and adaptation to practical requirements.
-The Commission must consider supply chain processes and operational practices in all further steps.
-The deadline for implementing the regulation must be extended.
-The EUDR should be thoroughly revised after the European Parliament elections in June 2024.
-According to these organizations representing the timber industry, the EU should utilize its exclusive competencies in international trade agreements to combat global deforestation. The EUDR came into effect on June 29, 2023, with a deadline for implementation by December 30, 2024.
The regulation aims to ensure that products made from certain raw materials, such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, rubber, and wood, imported to or exported from the EU, are produced without deforestation or forest degradation. To prove this, companies must implement a due diligence system, collecting information on the origin of primary products and raw materials, and assess and minimize risks. The European Commission has also established an information system to gather this data.
However, the current form of the EUDR threatens the industry's competitiveness. It imposes disproportionate bureaucratic efforts and is expected to have a negative impact on international competitiveness. The benefits of this excessive regulation are unclear, especially for countries with effective forest protection laws. Implementing the EU information system in operational practice is currently impossible due to a lack of automated data entry options via data interfaces, as evident from the pilot phase in January 2024.
Source: Biznes Meble.