The leading associations in the printing and media industry are calling for a fundamental revision of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products. In a letter, they appeal to the German government to lobby the EU Commission for practical simplifications.
The associations – the Federal Association of Printing and Media, the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, the Federal Association of Free Weekly Newspapers, the General Association of Press Wholesalers and the Media Association of the Free Press – see an urgent need for action, as the EU regulation on deforestation-free products also requires detailed traceability of the raw materials contained in paper products if these were produced within the EU.
First distributor
For many small and medium-sized enterprises, the EUDR requirements represent an almost insurmountable administrative and financial burden. The associations are therefore calling for due diligence obligations to be focused on the first distributor of raw materials in the EU. The associations see a possible simplification in a bundled advance notification of relevant raw materials and products to the EU information system. A model is proposed in which companies can fulfil their due diligence obligations in advance on a quarterly basis.
Zero-risk category
The associations support the call for the introduction of a ‘zero-risk category’ for products and regions without a relevant risk of deforestation. Paper products in the EU are predominantly sourced from recycled materials or sustainably managed forest plantations. The traceability of individual pulp fibres back to the original forest area is practically impossible and disproportionate to the actual risk. Finally, the associations oppose inappropriate sanctions. Penalties should be limited to intentional or serious violations, and companies should not have to fear that their products will be rendered unusable or destroyed.
BDZV
The association was founded in 1954 through the merger of the General Association of German Newspaper Publishers and the Association of German Newspaper Publishers. Based in Berlin, the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers is an umbrella organisation representing the interests of newspaper publishers and digital publishers in Germany and at EU level.
