The European Union (EU) has postponed a directive requiring diamond traders to provide traceability evidence for polished diamond imports to January 1, 2026 from March 1 this year.

The decision, published on the EU website on February 24, 2025, also now requires mixed-origin rough imports to be accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate that clearly states all countries of mining origin. These were stipulated in EU's 16th Sanction Package Against Russia, which amends an earlier regulation.

“Furthermore, addressing governance issues associated with the traceability system will require ongoing cooperation with the G7 (Group of Seven) and third countries,” the bloc said. “To further the facilitation of the implementation of those measures and continued engagement with the G7 and third countries, continued monitoring of the level playing field among G7 partners with regard to diamond-related measures should be conducted.”

G7 members are the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU bloc of 27 nations.

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) welcomed the decision, adding that delaying the implementation of the traceability requirement for diamonds was an important signal as it grants diamond companies more time to prepare.

The traceability-based requirement is aimed at linking non-Russian, G7-certified rough diamonds to the polished diamonds derived from them, AWDC said, adding that both new measures aim to significantly enhance transparency within the sector. 

The group, however, remains concerned about the uniform enforcement of such measures, citing "considerable uncertainty" about how the traceability system will function and how it will be governed.

Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of AWDC, remarked, “Russia continues to export large volumes of diamonds to countries outside the G7, which allows them to still enter the polished diamond markets. To prevent the European diamond sector from being disproportionately disadvantaged once again, a level playing field within the G7 is essential. Measures must be applied and enforced uniformly across all member states, particularly in major consumer markets such as the US.”