Top deforestation drivers could dodge ‘high risk’ tag under EU benchmarking

Countries responsible for much of global deforestation may avoid being labelled "high risk" under the EU’s new anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR), according to documents released on Wednesday (2 October) by the European Commission.

The regulation seeks to ban agricultural commodities linked to deforestation—such as cocoa, coffee, livestock, soy, palm oil, timber, and rubber—from the EU market, along with derived products like chocolate, furniture, and leather goods.

As part of the new rules, the Commission was required to classify countries as high, standard, or low risk based on their deforestation levels—a move that sparked diplomatic tension even before its release.

A high-risk brings bad publicity but also more bureaucracy, while low-risk countries face simpler procedures and fewer inspections.

However, some of the world’s largest producers of these commodities may escape the "high risk" category. The methodology suggests that countries sanctioned by the UN Security Council or the EU, such as Iran, Russia, Iraq, or Libya, will be classified as high risk – a criteria that has little to do with clearing forests.

“This category pays special attention to countries subject to UN Security Council and EU Council sanctions,” reads the document.  The Commission justified this by citing "particular difficulties" in conducting due diligence in these nations.

Fanny Gauttier, public affairs lead at the Rainforest Alliance, criticised this as a "toned-down" interpretation designed to ease concerns from producing countries, warning it could undermine the credibility of the assessment. “We’ll need to see the final assessment to confirm this interpretation,” she said.  The final benchmarking will be published by June 2025, according to the Commission.

The Commission also revealed that most countries will likely be categorized as low risk, and stresses that the priority would be to engage with those in the "standard" category - marking a shift from the regulation’s original focus on high-risk countries.

Countries labelled as "standard" will receive tailored approaches depending on whether they fall at the lower or higher end of the risk level - creating two “subcategories” of sorts.

Other highlights

Stakeholders and EU member states generally welcomed the guidelines published alongside the document. For example, Finland, which has 75% forest coverage, was reassured that cutting trees for animal barns wouldn’t prevent livestock products from being sold in the EU.

"The new guidelines provide flexibility, allowing barn investments to continue," said Finnish Agriculture Minister Sari Essayah. The Commission clarified converting forests to agricultural use to comply with animal welfare requirements would not be considered as deforestation – addressing Helsinki’s concerns.

The Commission also clarified that small-scale tree cutting for extensive livestock farming would only violate deforestation rules if it involves forested areas, as defined in the regulation.

However, other member states remain concerned. “We’re happy with the proposed delay,” an EU diplomat told Euractiv. “But that doesn’t appease our concerns about significant administrative burden for businesses.”

Additionally, the guidelines addressed "declarations in excess," allowing companies to declare larger land areas for production, provided they trace products to specific plots and avoid mixing with non-compliant sources.

Nevertheless, those that declare extra land must ensure all plots meet legal standards. "This confirms that traceability cannot be bypassed," said Gauttier.

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro/Owen Morgan]