Deforestation
Healthy forests are vital for people and the environment. EU rules aim to reduce global deforestation by regulating imports and exports of goods whose production contributes to the loss of forests worldwide.
Why forests should be protected
Forests cover 30% of the Earth’s land area. They provide a range of services which are vital for human health and well-being, and the environment. Forest are havens of biodiversity hosting most of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and fungi globally.
In addition, forests:
- ensure clean water
- supply renewable raw materials
- stabilise the soil and protect against natural disasters
- provide jobs, for instance in wood production, forest management or recreational activities
Forests also play a key role, as carbon sinks, in mitigating climate change given their power to absorb greenhouse gases.
EU forests capture 10% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.
The state of global deforestation today
Every minute, a forest area the size of 10 football pitches is lost worldwide, according to the World Resources Institute.
The main driver of global deforestation and forest degradation is the expansion of agricultural land. Population growth and the growing demand for food lead to forests being turned into crop land, and to an increased focus on agricultural productivity. Producing goods such as palm oil and soy has a high cost for forests and the environment.
Global forest loss since 1990 (in million hectares)
A line chart showing the loss of forests worldwide since 1990. In 2000, the loss accounted for 78 million hectares, in 2010 for 130 million hectares, and in 2020 for 178 million hectares.
What does the EU do about deforestation?
Several EU initiatives and laws contribute to preserving and protecting forests.
EU policies and rules on deforestation include:
- deforestation-free products
- forest strategy
- biodiversity strategy and nature restoration law
- rules on land use and forestry
Deforestation-free products
The EU has put in place rules aiming to regulate the entry into the EU market and the export from the EU of goods which contribute to global deforestation and forest degradation. The rules make sure that these products and their supply chains are ‘deforestation-free’.
The law is the first of its kind worldwide.
The listed goods are:
- cattle
- cocoa
- coffee
- palm oil
- rubber
- soy
- wood
The rules also apply to a number of derived products such as chocolate, furniture, printed paper and selected palm oil based derivates (used, for example, as components in personal care products).
Which of the goods causes the most deforestation?
A pie chart showing the share of each of the seven listed goods on global deforestation when consumed in the EU. Palm oil causes most of the EU-driven deforestation with a share of 35%, followed by soy (33%), which is mostly used for animal feed. Wood causes 9%, cocoa 8%, coffee 7%, beef 5% and rubber 3%.
The objective of the EU rules is to minimise the risk of deforestation and forest degradation linked to the consumption of the listed goods in the EU. Without these rules, the EU could cause more than 248 000 hectares of deforestation per year – an area almost as large as the territory of Luxembourg.
The new regulation sets mandatory due diligence rules for all traders who place, make available or export the listed goods from the EU market. Traders are required to trace the products they are selling back to the plot of land where they were produced (based on satellite images and GPS coordinates). This is in order to ensure that these are not produced on deforested or degraded land. A digital system provides authorities with the information on the origin of the products.
A benchmarking system assigns to EU and non-EU countries a level of risk related to deforestation and forest degradation. The risk category is used to determine the level of specific obligations for operators and member states’ authorities to carry out inspections and controls.
The rules take into account the protection of human rights related to deforestation. They also include provisions regarding penalties for non-compliant traders and support enhanced cooperation with partner countries.
The rules will:
- reduce global deforestation and forest degradation
- address illegal logging
- protect biodiversity and forests’ ability to capture CO2
Following the provisional deal on the regulation reached by the Council and the European Parliament in December 2022, the Council adopted the rules in May 2023.
In December 2024, the Council adopted a one-year postponement of the application of the EU deforestation law.
Following concerns expressed by member states and stakeholders about the readiness of companies and administrations, as well as about technical issues related to the new information system, in October 2025 the European Commission put forward a proposal for a targeted revision of the regulation to address the situation.
In November 2025, the Council adopted its negotiating mandate on the revision.
On 4 December 2025, the Council presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to revise the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) to simplify its implementation and delay its application, allowing operators and authorities more time to prepare.
On 18 December, the Council formally adopted the targeted revision, which streamlines due-diligence requirements and postpones the regulation’s application until 30 December 2026 for all operators, with an additional six-month extension for micro and small operators.
The revision responds to concerns raised by member states and stakeholders about administrative burden and IT system readiness, while fully preserving the EUDR’s objective of preventing deforestation and forest degradation linked to products placed on the EU market.
- Deforestation: Council signs off targeted revision to simplify and postpone the regulation (press release, 18 December 2025)
- EU deforestation law: Council formally adopts its one-year postponement (press release, 18 December 2024)
- EU deforestation law: Council and Parliament reach a deal on targeted revision (press release, 4 December 2025)
- Deforestation: Council ready to start talks with Parliament on a targeted revision of the regulation (press release, 20 November 2025)
EU forest strategy
In July 2021, the European Commission published the EU forest strategy for 2030, as one of the flagship elements of the European Green Deal. The strategy aims to contribute to the reduction of EU net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
The strategy aims to increase the size and quality of Europe’s forests and improve their resilience to challenges such as climate change, while also supporting communities whose livelihood depends on forestry.
In the Council conclusions on the forest strategy, approved in November 2021, EU agriculture and fisheries ministers stressed:
- the essential role of forests for human and animal health, as well as for the natural environment
- the role of forests in the transition to a green, climate-neutral and competitive circular bioeconomy
- the need to strike a balance between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable forest management
EU biodiversity strategy and nature restoration law
The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, presented by the Commission in May 2020 and endorsed by the Council in October 2020, sets out actions which aim to contribute to preserving forests and their biodiversity.
The nature restoration law, adopted in June 2024 by the Council and now in force, aims to enhance forest biodiversity.
Rules on land use and forestry
With the Fit for 55 package and the revision of the EU regulation on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), the EU has set a new 2030 goal for carbon removals. This will increase the EU’s natural carbon sinks which include trees and plants.
Last review: 4 December 2025