As implementation of the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) moves into an operational phase, stakeholders across global value chains are addressing practical challenges related to compliance and implementation.
The EUDR Community of Practice (CoP) is a neutral, technical forum established as a publicprivate partnership by the EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition and the European Forest Institute (EFI). It brings together businesses, EU Member State Competent Authorities, civil society, technical experts and the European Commission to exchange practical experience, identify implementation challenges and explore operational solutions. EFI provides secretariat support in close collaboration with the Coalition and the Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-free Value Chains.
Objectives
The EUDR Community of Practice aims to:
- Support effective and consistent implementation of the EUDR through structured technical exchanges
- Enable practical problemsolving , including testing of approaches and processes
- Identify implementation challenges, gaps and areas requiring clarification
- Facilitate mutual learning and knowledge sharing across commodities, actor types and geographies
- Create feedback loops that inform ongoing discussions among EUDR stakeholders
The focus is on operational and technical issues.
The Community of Practice is:
- A neutral forum for technical discussion
- A space for indepth exchanges between operators, authorities and other stakeholders
- A platform to test and discuss practical solutions, including dryrun exercises
- A mechanism to identify issues that may require further clarification, guidance or discussion
The Community of Practice is not:
- An advocacy initiative
- A decisionmaking body
- A commercial or promotional platform
Participation does not imply endorsement of any specific tools, methods or approaches, and does not limit participants’ ability to express views or take actions outside the Community of Practice.
Structure and organisation
The Community of Practice:
- Is open to all interested stakeholders and co-faciliated by the Coalition and EFI
- Shares progress and information on the Community of Practice and its Technical Core Group
- Promotes transparency, inclusiveness and encourages open feedback
The Community of Practices includes a technical core group of around 30 members, selected to enable in-depth and solution oriented discussions.
The technical core group consists of:
- Operators, traders and SMEs
- EU Member State Competent Authorities
- NGOs and civil society organisations
Efforts are made to ensure balanced representation across the seven EUDR commodities. The European Commission participates as an observer, and external experts are invited to specific sessions as needed.
The technical core group members were selected jointly by the Coalition and EFI based on an agreed selection criteria:
- Operators (7): Sucafina, Ferrero, Bunge, Corrie MacColl Europe bv, Mars, IKEA, AAK
- Traders, SMEs, Producers (8): Walter Matter, Tony’s Chocolonely, Marks & Spencer, Tatwin, Nestlé, Danzer, Grupo Garnica Plywood SAU, LIPSA
- NGOs (3): Earthsight, EIA, WWF, FERN (2 seats rotational); Voice Network
- Competent Authorities: Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Italy
- EC (observers): DG Environment and DG INTPA
- Co-facilitators: EFI and EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition
How the Community of Practice works
The Community of Practice is operationalised through its technial core group, generating insights, learning and best practices that will be available to the entire Community of Practice.
The modus operandi of the technical core group will be as follows:
- Six technical sessions are planned in 2026
- Sessions are co-facilitated by the Coalition and EFI
- Meetings consist of:
- 3–4 hour virtual sessions
- One in-person meeting hosted by EFI in Barcelona
- Ad hoc subgroups may be convened for specific commodities or thematic topics
- Key takeaways are shared after each session with the entire Community of Practice and through the communication channels of the TEI on Deforestation-free Value Chains, and, upon request, in other relevant spaces, like the Multistakeholder Platform on Protecting and Restoring the World’s Forests.
- An end-of-year review assesses value and informs adjustments to the approach
How to engage
Interested stakeholders can:
- Subscribe to receive updates from the EUDR Community of Practice
- Contact for feedback: EUDR.CoP@efi.int
Knowledge
- Launch of the EUDR CoP - 11 March 2026
- Presentation: What is the EUDR Community of Practice? (Based on the Concept Note)
- Presentation: Insights from EUDR Dry Runs: Key Challenges and Emerging Best Practices
- Full recording of the launch event (Passcode: P^Vbux08)
- First session of the EUDR CoP Core Group – 31 March 2026