The move is anticipated to give stakeholders and member states more time to prepare for the changes, which comes after feedback from international parties about their state of readiness.

If the European Parliament and the Council approve the move, the deforestation regulations would be effective from 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.

This regulation impacts PPA members distributing printed publications for export to the EU, including Eire and Northern Ireland, and is one strand of regulation from The European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The European Commission has said these extra 12 months will act as a “phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation”. Step-by-step preparation to ensure that members are legally compliant will come in due course from the EU Commissions implementation team. In the meantime, publishers should work closely with their paper suppliers.

The Commission has published additional guidance which will provide clarity to companies and enforcing authorities. The guidance can be found here.

To read the full update from the EU Commission, see here.