The European Commission has published its first official benchmarking list classifying countries by deforestation risk under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), aimed at tailoring due diligence obligations to the level of risk in each region. While the move marks a key step in implementing the regulation, the list’s methodological limitations and the absence of major commodity-producing countries are already drawing criticism. Published on May 22, the list ranks countries into three categories—low, standard, and high risk—based on their links to deforestation and forest degradation. The classification is intended to help EU operators adapt their due ...