The German Printing and Media Association is calling for the immediate suspension of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) for at least twelve months. This time must be used for a fundamental revision of the EUDR, as the regulation is not feasible for companies in the printing and media industry.
The clock is ticking: the EUDR is due to come into force on 30 December 2025. However, this is not possible due to technical problems with the ‘Traces’ IT platform, which is essential for its implementation. As a result, the European Commission has caused great confusion and complete legal uncertainty among the companies affected with contradictory statements and proposals. Companies had relied on the announcement by the EU Environment Commissioner that the EUDR would be postponed again by 12 months. According to the BVDM, the six-month postponement exclusively for small businesses proposed by the European Commission at the end of October falls short because small businesses are integrated into complex supply chains with uniform processes, and the intended relief therefore comes to nothing.
On the occasion of the upcoming consultations between the EU Commission, Council and Parliament on the EUDR, the BVDM is calling for effective relief for companies in the downstream supply chain. The Commission’s proposal is not yet suitable for this purpose. Due to the short time remaining until the start of the EUDR, there is not enough time to implement the necessary changes.
According to the BVDM, there is therefore no alternative to an immediate halt to the EUDR. The coming months must finally be used to fundamentally revise the EUDR with the involvement of the affected industries. The most important points are:
Focus on the first distributor: Due diligence obligations must take effect where they can most effectively stop non-compliant products – not along the entire supply chain.
Avoid excessive data burdens: The planned transfer of thousands of reference numbers along the entire supply chain is unrealistic and unworkable.
Introduction of a zero-risk category: Bureaucratic obligations must be waived for products from countries with no real risk of deforestation.
BVDM
The Bundesverband Druck und Medien e. V. (BVDM) is the umbrella organisation of the German printing industry. As an employers’ association, political trade association and technical trade association, it represents the positions and goals of the printing industry vis-à-vis politics, administration, trade unions and the supplier industry. The BVDM is supported by eight regional associations. Internationally, it is organised through its membership in Intergraf and FESPA. The printing industry currently comprises around 6,300 predominantly small and medium-sized companies with more than 99,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions.
