Printed Products Removed From EUDR Scope

Answer: the former Chapter 49 entry was removed

The 2025 EUDR amendment removed the former Annex I entry for printed books, newspapers, pictures and other printing-industry products, manuscripts, typescripts and plans under Chapter 49. Those products should not be described as currently relevant products on the basis of that deleted entry. This is a product-scope change, not a general exemption for anything bearing ink.

Paper and paperboard under the current ex 48 entry remain a separate issue. A printed paperboard article does not necessarily become a Chapter 49 publication merely because printing is present. The current product-scope framework helps distinguish the finished goods, their classification and the particular Annex rule being applied.

Use the amended Annex rather than the original list

The original 2023 text included a broad Chapter 49 entry under wood. Historical explainers and supplier templates may still reproduce it. A business relying on such material can incorrectly request EUDR statements for products removed from the current list. Check the consolidated version and the 2025 amendment before copying an older scope conclusion.

The current consolidated Annex shows the deletion rather than a replacement entry imposing a later date for the same printed products. Do not describe the change as a temporary postponement unless the applicable legal text supports that claim. The relevant distinction is that the former entry is absent from the current product list, while other wood-derived product entries continue to exist.

Printed appearance does not determine classification

A book, a cardboard carton, a paper label and an instruction sheet can all carry printed information. They are not necessarily classified in the same customs chapter. The correct classification depends on the nature and function of the goods under the applicable customs rules, rather than on whether they contain text or images.

A packaging buyer should therefore not use printed as a shortcut to out of scope. A technical specification and the actual customs classification are needed. If the goods fall within a current Chapter 48 entry, examine that entry and its exclusions. If they fall within the deleted Chapter 49 category and no other current entry applies, record the scope conclusion on that basis.

Paper and paperboard retain detailed qualifications

The current ex 48 wording includes exclusions for waste, used and second-hand products, recovered materials and specific packaging contexts. Those provisions can affect whether a paper article is relevant, but they are distinct from the deletion of Chapter 49. A paper product should not be given a Chapter 49 exclusion simply because it also contains printed material.

The Annex also addresses items of correspondence and marketing or information materials exclusively accompanying another product or supplied free for the specified purposes. Assess the actual conditions and presentation. An accompanying information leaflet, an independently sold publication and an empty printed carton can therefore have different reasons for their scope treatment. The record should identify the reason that actually fits.

Input obligations are not erased by an unlisted output

A printer or publisher may purchase paper that is itself a relevant product before producing a Chapter 49 output. The removal of the finished printed-product entry does not cancel obligations that attached to an earlier import or placement of relevant paper. The paper input and the printed output are separate goods and transactions.

For example, a business importing relevant paper must assess its role in that import even if the later printed publication is outside the current Annex. A business purchasing paper already supplied in the EU needs to examine its own applicable role and record duties under the revised actor model. Avoid assuming that every print business has identical obligations merely because their outputs are all books or brochures.

Update purchasing templates and product masters

Search internal systems for the deleted Chapter 49 mapping. Review supplier questionnaires, customer compliance requests, product tags and automated statement requirements. Remove obsolete conclusions only after confirming the actual classification. The correction should explain why the product's current status changed and retain the older assessment as a dated record rather than silently overwriting its history.

Where one catalogue combines publications, paper stationery and packaging, review each category. A blanket change for the entire supplier can create new errors. The same supplier may provide both products removed from scope and products still covered under different entries. A product-level assessment is more precise than classifying the supplier itself as entirely EUDR exempt.

Preserve a clear and reviewable conclusion

The decision record should identify the product and classification, the deleted entry, the current Annex version and any other entry considered. It should also explain whether relevant inputs are handled through a separate assessment. This makes the answer understandable to customers who may still be using an older supplier questionnaire.

The authoritative starting point is the current consolidated Annex I, read with Regulation (EU) 2025/2650. For printed boxes and other packing goods, use the packaging assessment rather than treating the deletion as a universal printed-material rule. Continue monitoring Annex amendments, because current exclusion is a conclusion about current law rather than a promise that product scope can never change.

When responding to a customer, identify the specific publication category and current legal basis rather than stating that the whole business is exempt. This avoids implying that paper imports, packaging purchases or other goods from the same supplier share the publication's status. A short explanation linked to the current Annex is usually clearer than an unqualified company-wide declaration.