The European Commission has adopted the implementing act on the country benchmarking system under the EU deforestation regulation (EUDR).

The implementing regulation classifies countries according to their risk of deforestation associated with the production of the seven commodities covered by the EUDR: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood.

This classification is intended to support operators in carrying out due diligence and to enable competent authorities to effectively monitor and enforce compliance.

In addition, it aims to incentivise countries to enhance the sustainability of their agricultural production systems and reduce their deforestation and forest degradation impact.

The EUDR aims to ensure that key goods in the EU market do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation both in the EU and globally.

According to the Commission, the regulation has brought more transparency in supply chains, prompted positive changes in both the public and private sectors and opened new market opportunities for deforestation-free products in the EU.