Vietnam is classified as “low risk” under the EU Anti-Deforestation Regulation.

Mr. Tran Van Cong, Vietnam's Agricultural Counselor in Belgium and the EU, affirmed that Vietnam's classification into the "low risk" group is the result of close cooperation between the two sides, especially through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) as well as environmental protection and sustainable development initiatives.

According to the EC’s assessment, countries in the “low risk” group will be subject to simpler control procedures, facilitating trade and exports. This is a positive signal for Vietnam’s agricultural and forestry sector, helping businesses significantly reduce the burden of procedures and compliance costs when exporting goods to the EU market.

Staff of Ma Bo Forest Management and Protection Station (Da Quyn Commune, Duc Trong District, Lam Dong Province) take care of planted forests in the area. (Photo: Lam Dong Newspaper)

The EUDR is expected to come into effect by the end of 2025. It is part of the EU’s efforts to curb global deforestation by controlling the supply chains of products such as timber, cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber, beef and derivatives such as leather, chocolate, furniture. Accordingly, the EC only classifies four countries as “high risk”: Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea and Russia. Countries such as Brazil and Indonesia are classified as “standard risk” and apply a medium level of control.

The EC has also introduced a series of changes to reduce administrative burdens and help businesses implement the EUDR more effectively. Large businesses will be allowed to reuse previously submitted verification declarations when re-importing goods into the EU. Technical guidance and FAQs have also been published since 15 April to support stakeholders in preparing for compliance.

In 2024, the EC organized more than 300 meetings, 50 webinars and developed training materials in 50 languages ​​to support partner countries, including Vietnam. At the same time, the EC also increased the budget for the “Team Europe” initiative to 86 million euros to support developing countries in transitioning to legal, sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains. The EC emphasized that it will continue to accompany governments and businesses in the implementation of the EUDR, ensuring that product origin control does not become a barrier to legal trade and sustainable economic development.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/viet-nam-duoc-xep-vao-nhom-rui-ro-thap-theo-quy-dinh-chong-pha-rung-cua-eu-213741.html