Council of the European Union and European Parliament 19 December 2025, Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as regards certain obligations of operators and traders

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Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 amends Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 to simplify compliance obligations for certain actors in deforestation-related supply chains by introducing two new categories—'micro or small primary operators' (subject only to a one-time simplified declaration rather than full due diligence statements) and 'downstream operators' (subject to obligations equivalent to traders, without the requirement to submit due diligence statements)—while postponing the date of application of the core operative provisions to 30 December 2026, with a further deferral to 30 June 2027 for natural persons and micro- or small undertakings established by 31 December 2024. Key enforcement provisions require non-SME downstream operators and non-SME traders to register in the information system and maintain traceability records, and competent authorities to conduct risk-based checks covering specified minimum percentages of operators by country risk classification. The Commission is mandated to carry out a simplification review by 30 April 2026 and a general review by 30 June 2030, the latter to assess, inter alia, the impact of the amended obligations on the achievement of the Regulation's deforestation and forest degradation objectives.AI