EUDR Community of Practice launches Core Group discussions

The EUDR Community of Practice (CoP) has been launched as a technical platform to support structured exchange on the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The initiative brings together a wide range of actors involved in EUDR implementation to share experiences, discuss challenges and explore practical approaches in a neutral, non‑advocacy setting. The Community of Practice is jointly established by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition and focuses on operational and technical aspects of the Regulation.

A multi stakeholder platform

The EUDR Community of Practice is organised around two complementary components.

A Technical Core Group provides a space for in‑depth, solution‑oriented discussion. The Core Group brings together a balanced mix of participants, including:

The European Commission participates as an observer, and external technical experts may be invited to specific sessions as needed.

In parallel, public sessions allow a broader group of stakeholders to engage with selected topics and follow emerging discussions.

First Core Group session

The first Core Group session took place on 31 March 2026, marking the start of the Community of Practice’s activities. The session brought together Core Group members representing different actor types and commodity perspectives, alongside EU Member State competent authorities from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Discussions focused on priority challenges related to EUDR implementation and included a review of results from a stakeholder survey designed to identify key topics for future Core Group exchanges. The discussion helped identify areas where further technical dialogue, experience‑sharing and clarification may be useful.

Next steps

The next Core Group meeting is scheduled for 12 May 2026.
In addition, a public session of the EUDR Community of Practice is planned for September 2026, with the exact date to be confirmed.

Updates on upcoming sessions and outputs of the Community of Practice will continue to be shared through the Deforestation-free Value Chains Hub.

For questions or feedback related to the EUDR Community of Practice, stakeholders can contact the initiative via eudr.cop@efi.int.

More information and materials

Region:

Luwero, Nakaseke, Kassanda, Mubende, Bukomansimbi, Kyotera, Omoro, and Nwoya

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, traders, state and non state actors, and processors

Key activities:

Capacity building of smallholder coffee farmers in production practices and sustainable land use management.
Establishing traceability system and facilitating access to sustainable financing
Facilitate inclusive business partnerships between producer organizations and supply chain actors
Promote multi-stakeholder cooperation

Commodities:

Region:

Huánuco, Ucayali, Pasco and Junín

Target group:

Public and private stakeholders, especially exporting companies, cooperatives and smallholder producers

Key activities:

Strengthen the supply chains to meet EUDR requirements
Facilitate access to sustainable finance and knowledge exchange
Training of smallholders to sustainable manage their production systems

Commodities:

Region:

Ngozi and Kayanza

Target group:

Smallholders

Key activities:

Training on the use of traceability tools and support on collection of geolocation data for EUDR compliance
Support the development of a national coffee sector dashboard for traceability and transparency
Capacity building of smallholder coffee farmers in production practices and sustainable land use management.

Commodities:

Region:

Centre, South West, Littoral, South, East and West regions

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, women, youth, and indigenous peoples

Key activities:

Develop inclusive business partnerships with the private sector
Facilitate access to finance for sustainable business models
Support and train farmers in open-source traceability systems
Promote multistakeholder dialogues to improve legal and regulatory provisions

Commodities:

Region:

(Lower) Kafue Catchment Ecosystem

Target group:

Farmers and community forest management groups

Key activities:

Support community forest management groups in the
sustainable management of natural resources and livelihood creation
Support farmers to produce soy in line with the EUDR and increase productivity, and implement transparency and traceability pilots

Commodities:

Region:

Lampung, West Kalimantan, and Central Sulawesi

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, private sector, and civil society organizations along the value chains

Key activities:

Empowering Smallholder Farmers and Farmer Organizations by facilitating traceability and legality, building capacity on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), and strengthening farmer organizations, ensuring inclusive support for both men and women farmers.
Promoting sustainable practices and collaboration by supporting village HCV/HCS conservation efforts, testing and strengthening the National Dashboard for traceability and legality, and fostering national and regional exchanges.

Commodities:

Region:

Son La, Gia Lai

Target group:

Smallholder farmers and marginalized groups

Key activities:

Support coffee value chain actors
Foster deforestation-free, sustainable, and legal supply chains

Commodities:

Region:

Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, Salonga National Park North, Salonga National Park South, Virunga National Park, Kahuzi-Biéga National Park

Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-free Value Chains

EUDR Community of Practice launches Core Group discussions

A multi stakeholder platform

First Core Group session

Next steps

More information and materials

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Global activities