The European Council has formally agreed to revisions for the EU Deforestation Regulation that remove certain printed products from its scope and postpone implementation deadlines. Books, newspapers, and printed pictures are among the items excluded, a decision the Council said reflects the limited deforestation risk associated with these products and aims to reduce administrative complexity for businesses.

Under the revised timeline, the regulation will take effect on 30 December 2026, with micro and small operators granted an additional six months until 30 June 2027. The postponement responds to concerns raised by member states and stakeholders about the readiness of supporting IT systems and the overall administrative burden of compliance. Due diligence obligations have also been simplified, and the European Commission is now required to present a formal simplification review by 30 April 2026.

The changes follow approval by the European Parliament earlier in December and confirm that printed products classified under HS code 49, including books, newspapers, commercial print, and advertising materials, are excluded. Printed items under other HS codes, such as packaging, labels, wallpaper, and stationery covered by HS code 48, remain entirely within the scope of the regulation.

Intergraf welcomed the outcome of the negotiations, noting that lawmakers stepped back from earlier proposals that would have required processing an unmanageable volume of data across the value chain. At the same time, the organisation emphasised that paper used by European printers, whether sourced within the EU or imported, remains subject to EUDR requirements. As a result, printed products manufactured in the EU will continue to comply with the regulation’s standards by default, while printed products produced outside the EU using non-EU paper may not be held to the exact requirements.

The EUDR, originally adopted in 2023, is designed to ensure that products sold or consumed in the EU are not linked to deforestation. It targets seven key commodities, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, rubber, and wood, and was initially scheduled to take effect in December 2024, but was delayed due to a series of amendments. The revised text must be endorsed by the Council and published in the EU Official Journal before the end of 2025 for the changes to enter into force.