EUDR Country Benchmarking: Low, Standard, and High Risk

EUDR benchmarking system

Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 provides for a system of classifying countries (or regions within them) according to the risk of deforestation and forest degradation. This classification, known as benchmarking, determines the level of due diligence required.

The three risk categories

• Low risk — Countries with a low rate of deforestation and a robust legislative framework benefit from simplified due diligence. Operators need only collect basic information and are not required to carry out risk assessment and mitigation
• Standard risk — The default category for countries not classified as low or high risk. Full due diligence applies
• High risk — Countries with high deforestation rates or a weak legislative framework. Competent authorities in EU Member States must check a higher percentage of shipments from these countries

Classification criteria

The European Commission assesses countries based on several criteria (Art. 29(3)):

• Rate of deforestation and forest degradation
• Rate of expansion of agricultural land for relevant commodities
• Production trends of relevant commodities
• Quality and enforcement of national legislation on forests, environment, and property rights
• International commitments undertaken (Paris Agreement, CITES, etc.)
• Information from monitoring systems (satellite imagery, global alerts)

Impact on due diligence

The risk classification directly affects operators' obligations:

• Low-risk countries: Simplified procedure — information collection only, without risk assessment and mitigation. Authorities check only 1% of operators and shipments
• Standard-risk countries: Full three-step due diligence. Authorities check at least 3% of operators and 3% of shipments
• High-risk countries: Full due diligence with additional requirements. Authorities check at least 9% of operators and 9% of shipments

Current status of the classification

The first official country classification was adopted on 22 May 2025 through Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093. All EU member states — including Romania — are classified as low risk, together with countries such as the United States, China and most European third countries. The high-risk category includes Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and North Korea; major tropical producer countries such as Brazil and Indonesia are classified as standard risk. The first review of the classification is scheduled for 2026.

Low-risk classification does not remove the core obligations: geolocation, traceability and the deforestation-free requirement still apply. It reduces the due diligence workload (no risk assessment and mitigation step) and the inspection quota.

Follow eudr.today for updates on the 2026 review. See the EUDR timeline for related deadlines and the legal analysis for the detailed legal basis.