With six months remaining before the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) enters into application, attention across the timber sector is increasingly shifting away from interpreting the regulation and toward understanding how it will be implemented in practice.<\/p>\n
This was the focus of a panel discussion organized by ATIBT during Carrefour International du Bois in Nantes, bringing together representatives from European importers, tropical timber producers, certification organizations and competent authorities from France and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
The discussion examined the practical realities facing different parts of the supply chain, including compliance systems, producer preparedness, enforcement expectations and the role of certification as companies prepare for the December 2026 deadline.<\/p>\n
Fundamental requirements remain unchanged<\/strong><\/p>\n ATIBT opened the session with an overview of recent developments surrounding the EUDR, including clarifications published by the European Commission in May 2026.<\/p>\n Despite the adjustments and guidance issued during the past year, participants stressed that the regulation's core requirements remain unchanged. Products placed on the European market must be legal, free from deforestation and forest degradation, traceable to their origin and covered by a due diligence process.<\/p>\n For suppliers located in producing countries, this means that the information requested by European customers continues to focus on the same key elements: geolocation data, traceability, legality documentation and evidence demonstrating compliance.<\/p>\n The message from the panel was clear: companies that have already been working on these areas should not expect major changes to the underlying requirements, even though implementation details continue to evolve.<\/p>\n Importers move from preparation to implementation<\/strong><\/p>\n Representatives of Saint-Gobain Distribution B\u00e2timent France and CID Bois Tropicaux explained that the main issue facing European operators is no longer understanding the regulation itself.<\/p>\n The focus has now shifted to building due diligence systems capable of handling large volumes of information, verifying its accuracy and consistency, and demonstrating that supply-chain risks have been properly assessed and addressed.<\/p>\n Participants noted that compliance requires considerably more than simply collecting documents. Importers are increasingly expected to understand their suppliers, evaluate the reliability of control systems and gain a much deeper understanding of production conditions throughout their supply chains.<\/p>\n The regulation is therefore driving a broader transformation of procurement practices, with buyers expected to exercise significantly greater oversight over sourcing decisions than in the past.<\/p>\n Tropical producers see opportunities as well as obligations<\/strong><\/p>\n A different perspective came from Vincent Istace of Olam Agri, who argued that the EUDR should not necessarily be viewed as a threat to tropical timber producers.<\/p>\n According to Istace, many companies operating certified and sustainably managed concessions have already invested heavily in traceability systems, forest monitoring, concession management and independent verification procedures. For these operators, the principles behind the EUDR are largely consistent with existing management practices.<\/p>\n However, he raised an issue that extends well beyond regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n The additional investments required to maintain traceability systems, monitor forest operations and meet increasingly demanding market requirements come at a cost. The question for producers is whether those efforts will ultimately be recognized and rewarded by the market.<\/p>\n For many operators in tropical regions, the future of sustainable forest management depends not only on meeting regulatory requirements but also on whether responsible supply chains receive economic recognition for the investments they make.<\/p>\n Competent authorities explain what inspections will focus on<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the most closely watched parts of the discussion involved presentations from the authorities that will be responsible for enforcing the regulation once it becomes applicable.<\/p>\n Representatives from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the French Ministry of Agriculture outlined the work currently underway to prepare for implementation.<\/p>\n Authorities reported that pilot inspections are already being conducted and that significant efforts are being devoted to staff training, cooperation between Member States and harmonization of enforcement approaches across the European Union.<\/p>\n The Dutch authority also shared lessons learned from \"dry run\" exercises carried out with companies preparing for the regulation.<\/p>\n These exercises showed that many operators have already established due diligence systems. However, the quality of those systems varies considerably, particularly when it comes to risk assessments and mitigation measures.<\/p>\n A key message from regulators was that due diligence will not be evaluated solely on the basis of documentation.<\/p>\n Authorities indicated that inspections will focus on the overall consistency and credibility of a company's due diligence framework. Companies will therefore need to demonstrate not only that information has been collected, but also that risks have been properly evaluated and managed.<\/p>\n Certification receives encouraging signals<\/strong><\/p>\n Certification remains one of the most discussed topics in relation to EUDR implementation.<\/p>\n Dutch authorities explained that certification systems may play an increasingly important role within risk-based supervision approaches. Systems such as FSC and RSPO were specifically mentioned as examples whose governance structures have been recognized as a basis for further consideration.<\/p>\n Regulators emphasized that certification will not replace due diligence obligations and will not exempt companies from inspections.<\/p>\n However, certification can help build confidence, support risk assessment procedures and reduce certain information-gathering efforts within supply chains.<\/p>\n For certified tropical timber operations, particularly those in the Congo Basin, this was viewed as a positive development.<\/p>\n Many certified concessions have invested for decades in traceability systems, legality verification procedures and sustainable forest management practices. Industry representatives argued that these efforts should be taken into account when authorities evaluate risk within supply chains.<\/p>\n New tools available for operators<\/strong><\/p>\n The panel also provided an opportunity to present practical resources designed to help companies prepare for the regulation.<\/p>\n Among the tools highlighted was the Timber Trade Portal, presented by Alessandra Negri. The platform provides detailed information on legality frameworks, traceability systems and regulatory requirements across major timber-producing countries.<\/p>\n ATIBT also introduced two new publications aimed at supporting companies as they prepare for EUDR implementation.<\/p>\n The first publication, EUDR & Certified Tropical Timber: Practical Guidelines for European Importers<\/em>, examines how certified supply chains can contribute to risk assessment and mitigation.<\/p>\n The second publication, Sustainable Management of Certified Forests: What You Don't See Makes All the Difference<\/em>, focuses on traceability, monitoring systems and sustainable management practices implemented within certified concessions in the Congo Basin.<\/p>\n From compliance to market value<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond technical discussions about regulation and enforcement, participants repeatedly returned to a broader question.<\/p>\n Will the EUDR become simply another compliance exercise, or can it also create greater recognition for supply chains that invest in legality, transparency and sustainable forest management?<\/p>\n For both importers and producers, the answer will play an important role in determining how the regulation affects the timber trade in the years ahead.<\/p>\n With six months remaining before implementation, most participants agreed that the industry's preparation phase is entering its final stage. The regulatory framework is now largely understood, competent authorities are clarifying their expectations and companies are increasingly focused on demonstrating that their due diligence systems can withstand regulatory scrutiny once inspections begin.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n