Vietnam and 139 countries are classified as having a “low risk” of deforestation, meaning that only 1% of Vietnamese businesses exporting to Europe are subject to strict inspection.
The European Commission published a risk classification system for countries under the European Union (EU) Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) on May 22. Accordingly, 5 countries, including the US, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, are classified as "low risk".
The EUDR is part of the EU’s efforts to curb illegal deforestation globally by tightening control over agricultural and forestry supply chains. It targets seven commodities: timber, cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber and beef, as well as derivatives such as leather, chocolate and furniture.
Speaking to VNA, Mr. Tran Van Cong, Vietnam's Agricultural Counselor in Belgium and the EU, said that Vietnam's classification into the "low risk" group is a positive result of the cooperation efforts between the two sides in recent times, especially within the framework of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT), as well as coordinated activities on environmental protection and sustainable development.
Also according to the newly published classification, four countries – Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea and Russia – are classified as “high risk”, promoting deforestation. Brazil and Indonesia, which have the highest deforestation rates in the world, are classified as “standard risk”. These two countries are also strong opponents of the EUDR, arguing that the regulation is burdensome and costly to comply with.
The main difference between the three groups is the number of exporters subject to compliance checks. The EU will carry out compliance checks on 9% of exporters from high-risk countries, 3% from the standard risk classification and 1% from the low-risk group.
Additionally, companies in high-risk and standard-risk countries will need to demonstrate when and where goods were produced, and provide “verifiable” information that exported goods were not grown on land deforested after 2020.
Alongside the publication of the national classification system, the EC also announced a series of adjustments aimed at reducing the administrative burden and compliance costs for businesses inside and outside the EU. Notably, large businesses will be allowed to reuse previous due diligence declarations when re-importing goods that have already been placed on the European market.
Still, policymakers have criticized the EU’s decision to impose its most stringent checks on just four countries. Even in the low-risk category, their companies still face some, albeit simpler, due diligence obligations.
The EUDR will apply to large businesses from the end of 2025, and to small businesses from June 6. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 2026% of their turnover in the exporting EU member state.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/eu-xep-viet-nam-vao-nhom-rui-ro-thap-ve-pha-rung-4889527.html