The European Commission’s latest proposal to modify the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has left Italy’s tanning industry deeply disappointed. Fabrizio Nuti, president of UNIC – Concerie Italiane, expressed strong dissatisfaction, calling it “yet another profound disappointment” from Brussels.
The sudden turnaround came after Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall had announced in September that the application of the EUDR would be postponed by a year. Nuti criticized the Commission for backtracking on earlier assurances to delay and simplify the regulation .
“The Commission contradicts itself since just a month ago the Environment Commissioner publicly said that the Regulation’s application would be postponed by a year. Now they’re proposing an extension of only six months and only for micro and small enterprises. They clearly don’t realize that companies need certainty, especially from a regulatory perspective, to plan their work,”
– Fabrizio Nuti, President, UNIC – Concerie Italiane
Nuti highlighted that this sudden change creates real operational challenges for companies.
In recent weeks, following the September announcement, many contracts for leather purchases with 2026 delivery dates have already been signed. Now they’ll need to be reviewed for compliance with EUDR’s strict and pointless requirements, he said.
The promise of simplification, according to UNIC, has fallen flat. Nuti pointed out that the real issue lies in sourcing geolocation data, a requirement that remains unchanged.
“The proposed changes are absolutely insufficient. They still keep hides under the Regulation, which makes no sense in the fight against deforestation. We’ve been asking to remove the geolocation requirement for supply chain operators, especially if the country of origin is considered low risk, but this rule still applies to all countries,”
– Fabrizio Nuti, President, UNIC – Concerie Italiane
He further criticized the unequal treatment within Europe and abroad.
Simplifications apply mainly to European production, which, according to Nuti, increases protectionist barriers and worsens trade tensions worldwide.
Nuti concluded that the European Commission has once again proven unreliable and disconnected from the real challenges faced by European industries.
“Probably a victim of political short circuits in Brussels, the Commission seems uninterested in the economic and social consequences of its decisions. But we will not give up. We’ll continue our fight for a sensible revision of the Regulation”
– Fabrizio Nuti, President, UNIC – Concerie Italiane
Source – Laconceria.it
