Press Release | FEP welcomes the result of the vote on the EUDR in the EP plenary

The legislators recognised the disproportionateness of the inclusion of books in the scope of the Regulation

Brussels, 26 November 2025

FEP welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the amendment removing all printed products (books, newspapers and magazines) from the scope of the Deforestation Regulation. Sonia Draga, FEP President, said “The recent Commission proposal to simplify the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been a welcome step in the right direction; however, it fails to recognise the specific and complex production and distribution chains of printed products. Books are so far down the supply chain that the information requirements and overall administrative burden would be dramatically disproportionate. In addition, millions of books would have risked destruction because the Regulation would prevent their import into the EU – a disastrous outcome made even more absurd as the consequence of legislation intended to protect the world’s forests. Many more books and journals would be prevented from entering the EU, thus severely limiting the possibility for libraries to acquire content from outside the EU – with a very detrimental impact especially for science and research in Europe. Books are already sustainable; they are generally produced from certified, to a large part recycled, or sustainably managed sources. They are sources of content and information and should not be treated as commodities. Including them in the EUDR adds red tape but no measurable environmental benefit. FEP calls on the co-legislators to sustain this removal”.

FEP is an independent, non-commercial umbrella association of book publishers’ associations in Europe. FEP represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. FEP is the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe.

Contacts
Enrico Turrin
FEP Deputy Director
eturrin(a)fep-fee.eu
+32 2 770 11 10 (general)

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