European Union proposes to exclude French Guiana from the territorial scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation for domestically produced and consumed products, effective upon adoption of the new Council Regulation.
The European Commission has proposed to exclude French Guiana from the EU Deforestation Regulation, lifting due-diligence rules for goods produced and consumed within the territory when the measure takes effect.
The change removes a requirement that companies selling cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy or wood in French Guiana prove the products did not cause deforestation. It also suspends the same obligation for shipments between French Guiana and non-EU countries. The delivered cost of locally grown food is expected to fall, but any goods moved from French Guiana into the rest of the EU will still need a due-diligence statement1.
French Guiana covers 83,000 km²—roughly the size of Austria—and 95 % of it is forest. The population is projected to grow from 285,000 in 2020 to 540,000 by 20401. Local food production relies on small, planned clearings; applying the deforestation rules to those clearings, the Commission said, would have raised import dependence and transport emissions.
Why the exemption was proposed
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) entered into force in June 2023 and is scheduled to apply to large companies from 30 December 20262. It requires every operator placing covered commodities on the EU market to submit a due-diligence statement showing the goods were produced on land that was not deforested after 31 December 2020.
Projected population of French Guiana
French Guiana is one of the EU’s nine outermost regions, recognised in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The article allows the Council to adopt specific measures for these regions, including tailored trade and customs rules. The Commission argued that applying the EUDR to French Guiana’s domestic production would have imposed a disproportionate burden, given the region’s remoteness, porous borders with Suriname and Brazil, and limited administrative capacity1.
The proposal adds a new paragraph to Article 1 of the EUDR, stating that “French Guiana shall be excluded from the territorial scope of this Regulation, including the customs territory as defined in Article 2(34)”1. The exclusion covers both goods produced in French Guiana and consumed there, and goods traded between French Guiana and third countries. It does not extend to the other French outermost regions—Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion or Saint-Martin.
What the exemption changes for trade
Under the current rules, any shipment of cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy or wood entering the EU market must carry a due-diligence statement. The same requirement applies to exports from the EU. The proposal keeps those obligations in place for goods moving between French Guiana and the rest of the EU: a container of coffee sent from Cayenne to Marseille will still need a due-diligence statement1.
Where the due-diligence statement survives
| Question | Produced and consumed in French Guiana | French Guiana ↔ non-EU countries | French Guiana ↔ rest of EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due-diligence statement | Lifted | Lifted | Still required |
| Example | Local slaughterhouse supply | Palm oil sold to Suriname | Coffee from Cayenne to Marseille |
| Market treatment | Outside EU market | Outside EU market | EU market entry or exit |
For goods produced and consumed within French Guiana, or traded between French Guiana and non-EU countries, the requirement is lifted. A farmer selling palm oil to Suriname or a cattle rancher supplying a local slaughterhouse will no longer have to prove the land was not deforested after 2020. The Commission said the change reflects the practical difficulty of enforcing the rules across French Guiana’s 500 km of land borders with Suriname and Brazil1.
The proposal also introduces a safeguard: imports into the EU from French Guiana will still be treated as entering the EU market and will require a due-diligence statement or a simplified declaration. Exports from the EU to French Guiana will be treated as leaving the EU market and will also need the same documentation1.
What the EUDR still covers
The EUDR applies to seven commodities—cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood—and a range of derived products, including chocolate, furniture and tyres. In July 2026, the Commission updated the list, removing cattle hides, re-treaded tyres and certain rubber articles, and adding soluble coffee, some palm-oil derivatives and frozen cattle tongues. The new products will become subject to the regulation from 30 December 20273.
Compliance lands in waves
| Deadline | Who it catches | What falls due |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Dec 2026 | Large and medium-sized companies | Due-diligence statements begin |
| 30 Jun 2027 | Micro and small companies, except ex-Timber Regulation firms | Due-diligence statements begin |
| 30 Dec 2027 | Newly listed products: soluble coffee, palm-oil derivatives, frozen cattle tongues | Products enter EUDR scope |
The regulation aims to cut the EU’s carbon footprint by at least 32 million tonnes per year and reduce biodiversity loss linked to deforestation. It repealed the earlier EU Timber Regulation and introduced a risk-based benchmarking system that classifies countries as low, standard or high risk. Operators sourcing from low-risk countries face lighter checks, while those sourcing from high-risk countries must provide more detailed evidence2.
The regulation applies to all operators placing covered products on the EU market, regardless of size. Large and medium-sized companies must comply from 30 December 2026; micro and small companies have until 30 June 2027, except those already covered by the EU Timber Regulation, which must comply from the earlier date2.
Other changes for French Guiana
The same proposal also amends four other regulations to reduce administrative burdens in the EU’s outermost regions.
What changed, and what did not
For fisheries, it extends until 31 December 2030 the transitional period for setting a fleet-capacity ceiling in Mayotte, giving France more time to establish an appropriate limit1. It also adds tropical products to the list of goods eligible for support under the common market organisation for agricultural products, allowing French Guiana to benefit from EU funding for fruit and vegetable sectors1.
For southern red snapper, the proposal introduces a exemption from processing requirements under Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2720. The change allows 1,500 tonnes per year of snapper caught by third-country vessels and imported into French Guiana to qualify for tariff exemptions under quota number 09.27461. Without the exemption, the 15 % duty would have applied, reducing the economic viability of local processing.
The proposal also amends the Asylum Procedure Regulation to allow an authority other than the determining authority to decide on entry for international protection in the French outermost regions. The change is intended to address rising asylum requests—up 26 % in French Guiana over one year—and to safeguard border protection while maintaining access to international protection1.
What happens next for french guiana products
The proposal is a Council regulation, meaning it must be adopted by the Council of the EU after consulting the European Parliament. There is no fixed timeline for adoption, but the Commission has said the changes are needed before the EUDR applies to large companies at the end of 2026.
The dates that bind
If adopted, the exemption for French Guiana will take effect immediately. The Commission has not proposed a review clause, but the EUDR itself includes a review mechanism: the regulation must be evaluated by 30 June 2028 and every five years thereafter2. The evaluation will assess the regulation’s impact on deforestation, biodiversity and trade, and could lead to further changes, including for the outermost regions.
The proposal signals a recognition that one-size-fits-all rules can impose disproportionate burdens on remote regions. It does not, however, change the EU’s broader ambition to reduce its deforestation footprint: goods moving between French Guiana and the rest of the EU will still need to meet the same standards as shipments from any other part of the world.
Sources
- ↩ Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2023/1115 and (EU) 2024/1348 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2720 as regards adaptation of certain requirements and reduction of administrative burden in the Union outermost regions. COM(2026) 661 final. https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-13018-2026-INIT/en/pdf
- ↩ Regulation on Deforestation-free products – EU Environment https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/forests/deforestation/regulation-deforestation-free-products_en
- ↩ Commission updates EUDR product scope and digital tools https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-updates-product-scope-and-tools-support-eudr-2026-07-13_en