Ethiopia Accelerates Efforts to Ensure EU Deforestation Regulation Compliance for Coffee Exports

Addis Ababa, August 13, 2025 (ENA) -- The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA), convened a key meeting to discuss Ethiopia’s progress toward meeting the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requirements for coffee exports.

The gathering brought together representatives from government agencies, development partners, coffee farmers’ cooperatives and unions, exporters, and coffee buyers’ associations, including participants from GIZ, the German Embassy, and UNDP.

State Minister of Finance, Semereta Sewasew reaffirmed the government’s commitment, alongside its partners, to building a resilient and compliant coffee supply chain that not only safeguards this vital sector’s role in Ethiopia’s economy but also meets international sustainability standards.

 

Ethiopia has made significant strides in developing a robust system for geolocation data, traceability, and compliance throughout the coffee supply chain.

A unified national platform has now been established to track coffee from the farm all the way to export, extending far beyond the dispatch point. To overcome remaining challenges and keep the initiative moving forward, stakeholders agreed on clear next steps, starting with the immediate creation of an EUDR Working Group.

Director General of ECTA, Adugna Debela emphasized the government’s strong commitment to ensuring EUDR compliance.  He announced that ECTA will issue a directive to associations and regional authorities, stressing the importance of centralizing all collected geolocation data within ECTA’s national system.

This approach will create a single, reliable source of information, avoid duplications, and streamline processes for exporters. All geolocation data gathered by stakeholders will be submitted to ECTA for validation and verification before being made accessible to coffee buyers in Europe.

 

With the EUDR compliance deadline fast approaching, the meeting highlighted the urgency of implementing these initiatives efficiently and effectively.

Moreover, it was agreed that support from all partners, including development agencies, should be scaled up to ensure Ethiopia’s coffee sector not only meets EUDR requirements but also flourishes in the global market. All participants pledged to intensify their efforts to help Ethiopia achieve full compliance.

In closing, State Minister Semereta stressed the critical importance of meeting the EUDR compliance deadline by the end of 2025 to further solidify the strong coffee trade relationship between Ethiopia and Europe.

She expressed optimism about the collaborative spirit and solid systems developed so far and underscored the need to complete the geolocation data and other essential requirements moving forward, according to Ministry of Finance.