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 in close coordination with 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 forum.
Structure
The Community of Practice operates through two complementary components:
Wider Community of Practice
The wider community is open to interested stakeholders and supports:
- Broad updates on the work of the Community of Practice
- Open feedback mechanisms
This wider community ensures transparency and broad outreach.
Technical Core Group
The technical core group is a focused working group of around 30 members, selected to enable indepth and solutionoriented discussions.
Composition includes:
- 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.
| Category | Organisation | |
|---|---|---|
| Operators | Sucafina, Ferrero, Bunge, Corrie MacColl Europe bv, Mars, IKEA, AAK | |
| Traders, SMEs, Producers | Walter Matter, Tony’s Chocolonely, Marks & Spencer, Tatwin, Nestlé, Danzer, Grupo Garnica Plywood SAU*, Lipidos* | |
| NGOs | Earthsight, EIA, WWF, Voice Network** |
The Core Group members were selected jointly by the Coalition and EFI based on an agreed selection criteria.
How the Community of Practice works
- 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 wider community 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 026
- Session summary report
- Presentation
- Results from the stakeholder survey on thematic priorities