After long delay, governments and companies must prepare for full application of the law by end 2026
Brussels, 4 May 2026 – The European Commission has completed its review of the delayed EU anti-deforestation law (EUDR) and found it can be applied by the end of the year. However, in a disappointing move, the Commission has caved in to pressure from lobbyists by recommending an exemption for leather and leather products with supply chains linked to deforestation.
EU governments and the European Parliament retain the power to block this exemption, if they consider the Commission has exceeded its powers.
Andrea Carta, Greenpeace EU senior legal strategist, said: “The anti-deforestation law is fit for purpose, an important signal for forest protection. It can finally enter into application on 30 December – governments and companies must prepare accordingly. After several false starts, EU environment commissioner Roswall has to stick to this commitment and make sure that everything is in place by the end of the year.
“However, carving a hole in the law to please powerful fashion brands is inexcusable. The leather supply chain is just as much a driver of forest destruction as it was when it was written into the law. Governments and the EU Parliament need to correct this mistake and reject the Commission’s exclusion of leather products.”
Leather is part and parcel of the cattle supply chain, and as such contributes to deforestation, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon. The expansion of cattle pasture accounted for 42% of global deforestation driven by agriculture between 2001 and 2022, destroying an area of forest the size of Spain and releasing half of all carbon emissions caused by commodity-driven deforestation globally. Several investigations have documented how trade in leather is linked to illegal deforestation and related human rights violations.(1)
In December 2025, the European Parliament and EU governments requested a “simplification review” of the EUDR. In order to fulfill this mandate, the Commission has proposed changes to guidance documents and FAQs related to the law, in order to facilitate compliance, but has not reopened the text of the law.
Notes:
- Earthsight, “The hidden price of luxury: what Europe’s designer handbags are costing the Amazon rainforest,” June 24, 2025; Environmental Investigation Agency, “Deforestation in the Driver’s Seat,” December 17, 2022,; Global Witness, “Cash Cow: How beef giant JBS’s links to Amazon deforestation and human rights abuses are aided by UK, US and EU financiers, importers and supermarkets” June 23, 2022; Human Rights Watch, “Tainted: JBS and the EU’s Exposure to Human Rights Violations and Illegal Deforestation in Pará, Brazil,” October 15, 2025; Rainforest Foundation Norway, “Hide on the Highway: Tracing Leather from Brazil to Europe under the EU Deforestation Regulation,” May 2024; in Paraguay, see: Earthsight, “Grand Theft Chaco: Luxury cars made with leather from the stolen lands of an uncontacted tribe,” 2020; Climate Rights International, “Before It’s Too Late: Curbing Cattle-Driven Deforestation and Rights Abuses in Brazil,” October 2025.
Contacts:
Andrea Carta, Greenpeace EU senior legal strategist: mobile +32 (0)496 161582, [email protected]
Greenpeace EU press desk: +32 (0)2 274 1911, [email protected]
This press comment is also available on: www.greenpeace.eu
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