EUDR Community of Practice session in Barcelona explores legality due diligence in practice

Published 2 July 2026

On 29 June 2026, the European Forest Institute (EFI) hosted the third session of the EUDR Community of Practice (CoP) Core Group at its Barcelona office. The session was co-facilitated with the EU Sustainable Supply Chain Coalition and brought together Core Group members from across EUDR supply chains, NGOs and EU Competent Authorities.

The meeting focused on a key aspect of EUDR implementation: how to approach legality due diligence in practice. Building on previous exchanges, participants explored how existing concepts and requirements may be interpreted across different operational settings.

A central component of the session was the use of four complex case studies, covering commodities such as cocoa and coffee, palm oil and rubber, timber, and beef and soy. Working in groups, participants examined how legality-related risks may be identified, assessed and addressed, highlighting the diversity of contexts in which due diligence is applied and emerging best practices.

The agenda also included a dedicated deep dive on substantiated concerns and “other relevant information”, with contributions from organisations including Fern, Earthsight and WWF. Discussions explored how such concerns may arise and what might be obligations for different actors along the supply chain.

Participants further identified additional supply chain scenarios that are not currently reflected in existing reference frameworks, contributing to a better understanding of complex actor roles and information flows.

EUDR CoP Core Group working during the 3rd session held in Barcelona. — The meeting focused on a key aspect of EUDR implementation: how to approach legality due diligence in practice.

The session provided for the opportunity to conduct mini dry runs focused on timber supply chains, covering EU and US sourcing contexts. These exercises explored how due diligence could be best exercised by operators sourcing from these smallholder dominant low risk countries with firsthand feedback from competent authorities.

Across the session, several cross-cutting observations emerged:

the interpretation of legality remains context-dependent
supply chain structures introduce variability in how due diligence may be applied
continued exchange is needed to support shared understanding

The in-person format enabled in depth technical discussions that complemented previous online sessions, allowing participants to work collaboratively through realistic scenarios.

The insights generated during the session will be shared with the wider Community of Practice to foster collaborative learning and help identify emerging best practices. The Community of Practice serves as a neutral forum for technical exchange between the private sector, EUDR Competent Authorities and other interested stakeholders, where participants can share experiences and explore practical approaches to EUDR implementation.