The European Commission publishes Delegated Act: leather excluded from the EUDR
14 July 2026On 13 July, the European Commission published the delegated act updating and simplifying the list of products covered by the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The final text confirms what had already emerged in the draft released in May: bovine leather, at every stage of processing, is excluded from the scope of the Regulation. The decision marks a major step towards the objective pursued since 2021 by industry associations such as UNIC – Italian Tanneries and COTANCE, which have consistently argued that leather should not fall under the EUDR. While highly significant, the outcome is not yet the final step in the legislative process.
Why leather was excluded
The feedback collected during the public consultation confirmed the Commission’s proposal to remove leather from the Regulation. On one hand, Brussels acknowledges that leather is a by-product of the livestock sector and that tanneries are not in a position to collect the due diligence information required by the EUDR.
On the other hand, the Commission also recognises that including bovine leather while excluding finished leather goods would create distortions in market dynamics. Rather than mitigating deforestation risks, such an approach would simply shift them elsewhere along global supply chains.
The final Legislative Steps
Following publication of the delegated act and its notification to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, a two-month scrutiny period has now begun. Technically, the European Parliament could request an extension, although this is considered highly unlikely.
If no objections are raised by 13 September, the delegated act will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force definitively, confirming the exclusion of bovine leather from the EUDR.
