The January 2026 edition of the AFF–HLG Monthly Monitoring newsletter arrives at a pivotal moment for African forestry stakeholders navigating a rapidly shifting European regulatory landscape. Produced through a partnership between the High-Level Group on Forestry & Biomaterials (HLG-FB) and the African Forest Forum (AFF), with support from SAPPI, the newsletter tracks major developments across several EU regulatory frameworks. The most consequential update concerns the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which has been delayed a second time, with a unified compliance deadline of December 30, 2026 now set for all operators regardless of size. The revision introduces meaningful changes: responsibility for due diligence statements now rests solely with the first operator placing a product on the EU market, printed products like books and newspapers have been removed from scope, and micro and small primary operators will benefit from a simplified one-time declaration. Beyond the EUDR, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) have both been substantially narrowed, affecting roughly 85% fewer companies than originally anticipated, while the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered its compliance phase in January 2026 with a new de minimis exemption for importers of 50 tonnes or less. The EU Forest Monitoring Law, meanwhile, was voted down by the European Parliament and subsequently withdrawn by the Commission, a setback that could weaken EU support for African forestry capacity-building in the long run.
On the broader geopolitical stage, the newsletter highlights growing momentum in EU-Africa relations and the global bioeconomy agenda. The EU published an updated Bioeconomy Strategy in November 2025, valued at €2.7 trillion and employing over 17 million people, with new commitments to bio-based markets and a proposed Bio-based Europe Alliance targeting €10 billion in bio-based purchasing by 2030. The AU-EU Summit in Luanda in November marked the 20th anniversary of the EU-Africa partnership, producing commitments to boost investment and accelerate Africa's green transformation, though forestry was notably absent from the final declaration. South Africa's G20 Presidency similarly elevated bioeconomy discussions, with proposals for an independent African Bioeconomy Finance Hub emerging as a key legacy initiative. The HLG itself shared ten reform recommendations with EU institutions, calling for EUDR implementation tailored to local contexts, country-specific roadmaps, simplified compliance for smallholders, and improved risk classification transparency, recognising that Africa's path to a bioeconomy will differ fundamentally from Europe's. The Miombo Restoration Alliance also launched its first carbon removal projects across Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, and Malawi, offering a promising model for restoring one of Africa's most overlooked forest ecosystems.
The newsletter's overarching message is that the current period of EU regulatory flux is simultaneously a threat and an opportunity for African forestry. The EU's cancellation of its Voluntary Partnership Agreement with Cameroon and the pending cancellation with Liberia signal a troubling retreat from structured EU-Africa forest governance cooperation. At the same time, political divisions in Brussels, between the EPP's push for simplification and the Greens' insistence on environmental integrity, create real windows for African stakeholders to influence how regulations like the EUDR are ultimately implemented. African producers, governments, companies, and civil society organisations must engage actively and strategically with EU decision-makers now, while the rules are still being written.